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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29026680">Well Deserved</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Malesherbes/pseuds/Malesherbes'>Malesherbes</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Hollow Knight (Video Games)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Beware of worm !, Crippling Guilt, Everyone lives, Fix-It, Guilt, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, It Gets Better, More angst, Multi, Self-Esteem Issues, Self-Harm, Self-Hatred, Suicidal Thoughts, Worm is not okay, it gets better for everyone except for PK, it/its pronouns, loss of self, lots and lots of angst, maybe some fluff in the end idk, new identities, sponsored by Kleenex, what if</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 03:40:05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>45,156</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29026680</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Malesherbes/pseuds/Malesherbes</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Just after sending his spawn in the abyss, the pale kings looks for hopes in vision, yet cannot find it. Instead, he finds a truth that will change everything and conceives a new plan.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Dryya/White Lady (Hollow Knight), The Pale King/White Lady (Hollow Knight)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>86</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>100</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Prologue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>WARNING, this has mentions of severe self hatred and depression, do not read if it might be a trigger. The pale king is my favorite character, I find him the most interesting, but I don't know why, I can only imagine stories where he is put though horrible suffering.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The kingdom of visions was difficult to reach, its sharp light transcended possibilities and will, and the wind of magic rushed trough it, bright yet bleak, quick to sweep away will and thoughts. The Wyrm had no affection for this place, its soil birthed noting but nightmares and the more he sought, the more he found visions of horrid times. In every corridor of this labyrinth, the end was doomed, and every single thing was a source of worries.</p><p>The fact that he could no longer see beyond a certain time, the fact that all other futures were filled with orange tinged wastelands, death, regrets and black marring his hands, the fact that nothing changed when the fragile eggs were plunged into the deep, the sorrow of the millennial tree, of the bright and loving root, of life and stones that already mourned the ones that had yet to be birthed.</p><p>All cried with agony, and the king, the being in a sense, that was birthed from this place and for this place, it cried with it too, silently and alone. Thus had he plunged himself in visions ( because regret was another sort of pain, different from fear and desperation, that bit his soul with poisoned fangs and left unhealing wounds each time) and the kingdom of prescience, the gardens of his past self, still held hope in its ever-changing form.</p><p>The kingdom of visions had many routes, many tunnels, not unlike hallownest itself, except it changed with every fleeting emotion, with the slightest distraction, it would disappear, leaving the wanderer on barren lands. For days, he passed through the same sights, of unfair sacrifices, of pitiful lies (in these futures, he was the best liar of all), he wanted to find it again. That one tunnel let unexplored, the one he had recoiled from the first time he saw it, because it was filled with uncanny darkness and lack of sound. This was sweetly ironic, how this terrifying thing, in these new times, had become a beacon of hope, and now, how he longed for darkness, the one that held mind and light, how he longed for silence.</p><p>After days of search, the last day he could handle before the draining of his magic would banish him from these parts for long weeks, he found it, amidst the infinity of doomed paths, the final unknown, the path of darkness. He advanced hesitantly within the pitch black den, and walked, footsteps, breathing, beating of heart unheard, in pure nothingness. ( This had to be the most terrifying thing he had ever seen- was that it, the idea of being hollow, the pure anguish of the lack of all things, the constant experience of death? Had he fathomed before that the lack of all sensations was way worse that the worst of pains?) Something deep in his being began to crack as he pushed forward. The walk was long. Or short. Was there a walk at all, was there even something to remember, with lack of hearing, lack of sight, lack of touch ?</p><p>And yet, this led somewhere. In a small room, grey, with dusty walls and dusty floors, and the taste of something like blood and cinders. A being sat in the middle of the room. Upon seeing it, the pale king felt the pang of hope and fears. The being was oddly similar to himself, yet, it was different, opposite even. This being was staring at him with empty eyes, and it did not emit any light. Its body was hidden under a grey cloak and the crown-like horns were all broken.</p><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p>He took one step towards the creature. The being tilted its head on the right, very slightly, and kept silent.<br/>“ Who are you ?” ( The king pictured himself saying it with an imperious tone, but the words he heard leaving his mouth were unsure and weak, his hands were shaking very slightly.) The being answered in a calm but empty sounding voice.</p><p>- My name is worm, the knower of truths. Come through this path and you will remember.</p><p>The king felt something ominous creeping trough him with the words. He asked: “ what are you doing here, in my visions ? What are these truths you say you know of ?”</p><p>- You are mistaken. You are lost. You have left behind the true nature of your being, you still ignore the real name of this place. Come through this path and you will remember.</p><p>The king did not understand this stranger. How could it appear in his vision, in his own mind, how could it pretend to know things he didn’t when all this was his own mind. “What are you ? He asked. What are you trying to do ?” The thing answered.</p><p>- My name is worm, the knower of truths. I exist here to tell you what you are. Come through this path and you will remember.</p><p>Behind the thing, a large tunnel was open. It had the shape of an eye and of a bleeding cut in something living. The pale king stepped forward, the strange being lowered its head. Fear was creeping through him steadily, but his will remained. Voices of his mind were shouting, ordering him to step back, not to trespass, to flee far from this point and never come back again. The Wyrm knew that this was a barrier. That this door built deep inside his mind was here to protect him from something terrible, something that could destroy him in the worst possible way, something that beings like him were not supposed to know, and should never want to reach, lest their world would crumble and never be rebuilt again. However, the king continued. This was the only way he had not yet explored, and as he stated himself not so long ago, no costs too great.</p><p>With one last step, he went through the gate.</p><p>Suddenly, he was on the path.</p><p>Now, he remembered.</p><p> </p><p>The kingdom of visions was a most unfit name, for these lands were in truth the lands of memories: now, the Wyrm remembered. He remembered how he had lived again and again trough the same times, in the very same words, how he kept making the same kingdoms, the same mistakes, over and over, how he struggled each time, the many murders he committed, murders each time too late revealed, being the murder of children abandoned for no reason, except for time. He remembered how he died, how he banished himself from the world, making sure with magic and blades that he could never come back to taint it, how he let his mind be erased, leaving behind an empty husk in a dead kingdom.</p><p>Most of all, he remembered how each time was real, how each death was a new death, each life taken a new life lost, each mind cruelly broken a new torture upon a new being, in a new time.</p><p>This was the fate of the immortal.<br/>He understood, now, why higher beings were nothing in front of death, how it would trap them every-time in never-ending circles of tragedy, with more blood on his hands than the blood of whole kingdoms, with more tears shed that all the rain of the city of tears.</p><p>The Wyrm laughed with an unending pain at the irony of the situation. It all made sense, after all, how he could never see beyond a certain future, how the answers shown being death and desperation. Very ironic indeed, the way he tried to save this land from a curse when the true curse was himself.</p><p>That was quite a feat, in a way, to curse a part of time.</p><p>However, with this came the answer. The right answer, the good end was the one he could never have seen: the only end he was not part of. The right future was a future without him.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Within the white palace, the king ( the self proclaimed, the seeker of worship, the teller of lies and eater of hopes) woke up.</p><p>Finally, he had a plan.</p><p> </p><p>When they retrieved the vessels from the abyss, it was too late already. A lot of them were already dead, the others completely imbued by the void. The white lady was elated, though she didn’t understand the reason for this change of plan. The king, indeed, had told very little about its new whereabouts, except for the fact that vessels could be retrieved, that they could be cared for, like children (as children ).</p><p>The small creatures brought a lot of joy within the castle, the root very thankful that she could be a mother. Most of the knights delighted in their company, Lurien, when he came by, was often taken hostage by their gleeful swarm, providing him great entertainment. The children were showing affection to him too, with their thoughts, some already called him “father”. This word was one of the worst, every time, he felt pangs within his heart ( what heart ?) and reminisced the shape of their horns, faces he had seen empty and broken, scattered on the floor of the abyss with no names to carve on tombstones. So he smiled, tried to talk to them with a soft voice, a very weary voice, because for them, he had to.</p><p>(This, too, is a lie, the new voice would say, with a cruel tone, one more lie after many others, as if, after all this, you could still love.)</p><p>His decision brought him the approval of others, the root tried to grow closer to him, and every soft word she would speak brought more pain. One time, they were in the garden, with the three horned child on her lap.</p><p>“Do not look so sad dear, you made a good choice, this made me happy too, to be able to care for them.”</p><p>“ This was the least I could do” he answered, ( The least you could do after breaking her heart so many times, after taking from her everything she had, all for naught).</p><p>So he kept lying about the solution about the new secret vessel that was a magical object, about being a father, about wanting to save them all.<br/>But he wanted to, didn’t he ?</p><p>( All you want is to feel better after everything you did, just this little thing, this tiny thing just to feel better about yourself. After all, a being like you is unable of love or compassion.)</p><p>Even with his new project, he still needed the dreamers. Lurien, the one that had never hesitated, not even once, who gave his life countless times because he thought it was for the greater good ( because he was tricked ) , Monomon, the one that truly loved knowledge, language and history, whose life had so much meaning ( so much more than his), she gave it away too, with nothing but dread in exchange.</p><p>He knew what Herrah would want, and he still felt frightened by it, each time her words had forced him to accept, this round would not be different, except more painful. ( But how could one dare to care for pain, or will or dignity, when so much was destroyed at their hands ?) After that, the power she had over him, the way a simple gaze could make him flinch was such a diminutive way to atone for all the pain he had caused.</p><p>He was so close, now, so close to end it all, and the kingdom, at last, would be free from the curse. He walked within the temple with the void artefact, lied one last time ( I will come back, this sounded awfully familiar) and that was it. This time, he would not die, he would just sleep forever and be nothing, this way, the world would be free.</p><p> </p><p>( The other voice was so loud,now that he was alone, it mocked him from afar with a twisted face : They suffered this time too, it said, they’ll suffer from your lies, from your failures, your cowardice. You can see it, now, don’t you ? From the beginning, it was too late.”)</p><p>In the empty temple, the void artefact is activated, its content takes over the king's body as the sealed chains are pulled around him. Void and dreams fill his mind simultaneously, all sensation, once again, disappear, all seals close, he forgets.</p><p> </p><p>In the realm of dream, a being with no name is fighting. It doesn’t know why, or when it began. With shining nail and magic, it fights a godlike creature, a light with many blades, with a crown and many wings, a thing of power and magic, of mind, worship and eternity.<br/>The being still fights, and it keeps losing. It keeps dying, yet it gets up and fights again.</p><p>In the realm of dreams and nothingness, the being with no name is losing. Its mind has begun to shake again, its heart has begun to hurt. The voice repeats “failure, failure”, and terrible images come through.<br/>The thing, at some points, longed for memories. Now it does not, not any more, it remembers.</p><p>The thing has a name, now, it has lost. It has failed.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Welcome back</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Three shadows make their way towards hallownest, in search of adventure and memories.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>In the King’s pass arrives a little ghost. Something had led them here, but they can’t remember what it is. The wind outside has taken their memories away. Yet, there are some things they still know: how to read, how to hold a nail and wield it ( they’re still clumsy, though, at first, they shook it aimlessly while running at crawlids and were needlessly injured by their spikes). They know they have a purpose in here, when they read the tablet with the beautiful white runes, a warm feeling fills their chests. This sounds like “ welcome back, we missed you, welcome home”. </p><p>They continue through the tunnels, miss a few jumps, get cornered by a terrifying fly . They also play with the pretty blue liquid surrounded with butterflies, this too has something funny and heart-warming about it. They finally get to the second tablet. This one is engraved with a meaningful name: “ the eternal kingdom : Hallownest”. Next to it, a small item is shining. Examine : this is a pebble with a message engraved in it. It has been partially erased. “ While thankful for your (…) no longer can we stay. (…) be back.” </p><p>Then, they find the door. This door is well preserved, and quite resisting against their little nail. They stay back, and look at this door in a pose of challenge. The door does not react. Behind them, light footsteps can be heard, with feeling of interrogation and amusement. Their two siblings are waiting behind them, bearing with them the remembrance of names. The one with the long horns and the red cloak is Hornet, a sister, she is laughing without sound at the failed attempt with the door. The other, the tallest of the three, is called Hallow, their nature is soft and caring, and they worry for their sibling. They have a name, too, though it seems a little different, something about it is a little sad and has to do with rainy evenings and regrets. Their name is Ghost.</p><p>Hornet launches a sharp attack on the door, making it crumble easily. “ That’s unfair, Ghost thinks, I had already done most of the job. The trio walk through the door, for a first time - at least for them as they are now, still in want of memories – they set foot in the forgotten kingdom. From the small cliff, they can see the lights of a settlement, a few minutes ahead. “ People ? “ Hallow asks. From their scattered thoughts, it seems that they had conceived this place was abandoned for good. </p><p> </p><p>They make their way to the village. “Dirtmouth”, the sign reads. “ Why Dirtmouth ? Why ?” from the beginning of this journey, Hallow was excited about names, the idea of words and things being attached to each other was a sort of magic to them. In a way, they were not wrong, for magic had a lot to do with language and words. “ There must be a monster !” Hornet chirps happily, “a monster with a big dirty mouth!”. “Look” this thought belonged to ghost, who was a few steps ahead in the village “ there is a being here, it looks very wise .”<br/>
The trio dashed towards Elderbug, who took a step back in fear. Hornet asked bluntly “ Why is it called Dirtmouth ?”  The poor bug was terrified by this energy: first these were bugs he had never seen, second, they barged in, asking questions no one had ever asked, and worst of all, they looked so different from everything he was accustomed to ! New, different, this was terrible, this was a danger ! These beings, for sure, came here to disturb his quiet life ! </p><p>He answered : “ Please don’t be so brash, young creature, this is really inappropriate. I don’t know why this city is called Dirtmouth. If you want to know, you should go down this well and ask adventurers who come to find riches and glory in the ruins of the kingdom below. Not that I would go there myself, though, I am perfectly content where I am.”<br/>
“ Old bug is scared!” Hornet laughed. “Please respect your elders !” Elderbug shouted indignantly, before returning to his home. These newcomer would ruin his life, at this rate.</p><p>Hallow thought “ we go. Well.” The other two nodded, and made their way towards the right. They found the well easily, and began to walk towards the right, trying to escape the vicious creatures that haunted this place. These bugs with orange eyes or bellies were not welcoming in the least. Moreover, Ghost had a hard time avoiding their attacks, while Hornet launched herself at them recklessly and took unnecessary damage. Last but not least, Hallow didn’t even try to fight them because they were too gentle, which was not really helping since, despite his temperament, he was supposed to be the best fighter of the three. </p><p>After this disastrous advance though the caves, being lost twice before finding out they were going in circles, the  trio finally found themselves in front of a strange temple. ( Later, they would feel quite embarrassed, discovering that this was in fact the closest location to the entrance and that they just had to continue to the right, instead of  turning aimlessly in the tunnels.)<br/>
In front of the temple, a bug with a pretty mask was admiring the architecture ; Visibly absorbed in his observations he had not noticed them yet. However, the poor bug was violently pulled out of his meditation by Hornet’s loud voice : “ Mister ! Why is the village called Dirtmouth ? Where is the big dusty beast ?”. He considered her with bewilderment, which was quickly replaced by fondness, as he could feel the youth and curiosity of these beings.</p><p>- Good day, little ones, my name is QuirreI. I’m glad to see that you too are interested in the history of this place. I also find myself fascinated by this ancient kingdom. But to answer your question, I’m not really sure of the answer, since I am a traveller as well. Usually, the cities which names finish with the word “mouth” are built near the mouth of a stream, were the water flows in the sea or in a larger river. They are no rivers here, though, so I believe this is for another reason.”<br/>
- Is it the beast ?” Hornet asked, still rather excited at the idea.<br/>
- I do not know how you got the idea of a beast, but it is true that there is a beast around here. It is guarding the entrance of a tunnel. I tried to fight it but it had a very tough armour, so I’ll try to find another way.<br/>
- Is it dusty ? Does it have a big mouth ?<br/>
- Not really. It was quite clean actually, and its mouth did not exactly struck me by its large proportions.<br/>
- It’s not the big Dirtmouth, then, Hornet sighed with disappointment. Quirrel found it particularly endearing.<br/>
Behind here, Hornet could feel the questions of her siblings ( since they could not talk themselves, they had apparently decided to use her as a spokesperson. She turned to Quirrel. “ They ask what you’re doing here, if you are an adventurer.”<br/>
- You can say that I am, in a way. I found myself attracted to this place, and I can’t wait to visit this mysterious kingdom.<br/>
At these words, the siblings’ interest in the adventurer grew even larger, and Hornet felt her mind being pressed by their many questions.<br/>
- They say that we are, too. We want to visit this place. We know that we have a purpose here, something important to do, but we can’t remember what it is precisely. Are you like this ?<br/>
Quirrel looked surprised, and a little worried. He answered:<br/>
- What a strange coincidence. Yes , I am indeed, I also feel the way you do. I think that the travel in the wastelands outside has gnawed at my memories, and I still cannot pinpoint the purpose that led me here in the first place. Yet, I have the feeling that I may remember, if I keep exploring further.<br/>
Hornet felt the excited voices of her siblings behind her : “We too, we are like you! Be friends! Come with!” </p><p>She said :<br/>
- It seems that our goals, for now, are similar. Do you want to join us? It would be more fun to travel together and… my sibling wants you to teach us more about names. By the way, these two are my siblings, the small one jumping everywhere is Ghost, the tall one is Hallow. They’re the one who wants to learn about names.<br/>
Quirrel thought for a moment. He was so used to be a lone traveller by now that he liked it this way. These solitary adventure brought him a feeling of peace and serenity. However, he did not want to disappoint the little troupe. They seemed to have already taken a liking to him, and he could guess it would be quite difficult to push them away. He finally answered:<br/>
“ I will. Your siblings seem very excited about it and I wouldn’t want to let them down.<br/>
At these words, the two jumped around him happily. </p><p>With this new member to their party, they continued the adventure. Quirrel proved a much needed addition to the group, he had a great sense of direction and was a skilled fighter, who prevented them from getting surrounded multiple times. Within minutes, they found the beast he was talking about, but its shell was so thick it didn’t take damage, and Hornet had a hard time reaching it with her needle when it was not protecting itself. They finally decided to find another way. In their search, they stubbled upon a group of maggots, one of them was stuck in an old piece of armour that was way too small for its body, and kept babbling about becoming a great knight to protect its kind. Ghost didn’t know it it was because of their physical features or of their moronic behaviour, but they felt an intense urge to bully these maggots. Finally, by pushing them aside and trapping them in her spider silk, Hornet managed to uncover the entrance of a new passage.</p><p>This one led to a rather worrying place: with empty shells and skulls put on display as some sorts of totem. Hallow was scared and tried to hide behind Hornet, which was not very efficient. The group continued and found themselves in front of a strange character, a snail, it seemed, yet it had limbs and its body was completely black. This being seemed attached to knowing and sight, and the air around it smelled like warm water from the sources. Ghost and Hallow felt drawn to it. </p><p>“Who is that creeping out of the darkness, it said, my the two of you are looking grim, strange, empty faces and wicked looking weapon. Something has drawn you to Hallownest’s corpse, but I wont ask what. Perhaps the reason you lot found me is because you need my help.” Then, the snail taught them a spell, but this was a spell for users of soul, thus Hornet and Quirrel were not able to master it. Ghost learned very quickly how to use it, and Hallow was so fascinated by the nature of its magic that they kept using it until they had not a single drop of soul left, to Hornet’s amusement. With this, they pursued their journey.</p><p>They walked long distances. Each place brought them nostalgic feelings, and brief memories of moments spent here, of bits of songs and joyful words emanated from the familiar architecture. Quirrel felt this way too. Green-path and the city of tears, Fog Canyon, all things were welcoming them back like old, long forgotten friends ( Well, all things except the beings struck with this strange orange infection, who kept attacking them viciously, making them drop their money, lose their way again and again ). Quirrel had a grudge against them too, as they made it quite impossible to revel in the atmosphere of the place. </p><p>He also found himself bonding quite easily with the three strangers, and was never really surprised by their shenanigans. He supposed he must have known them before, from another place or another time, before the walk to the wastelands. He could feel it, now, maybe their purpose were not so different.</p><p>This continued without major problems ( except for Hornet getting tangled in her own thread and Hallow insisting to dig graves for every wanderer after finding their journal, which made their progression considerably slower) . Then, they found the resting grounds and the statues of the dreamers. They could already feel who they were, Hornet especially, who finally remembered her mother, as well as Quirrel in front of the teacher; he still couldn’t remember their connection, but he knew that he loved and respected her deeply. The reminiscence became less blurry, it seemed that their purpose would soon be revealed.</p><p>The dreamers took them in their realm, saying they should continue their slumber. The four of them could pinpoint something in the colour of their mind, something hopeful, fear and anticipation, as their words did not seem quite true. </p><p>They eventually found themselves alone in the dream. It was full of beautiful golden light and had an air of melancholy. Beauty and calm were seductive here, it called for rest, inaction, more sleep. Without purpose or will, one would easily fall to its soothing influence, and loiter eternally here, in a sickly sweet slumber.</p><p>The shining silhouette of the moth appeared before them. Its aura shone welcomingly, sending soft words of safety, of swift escape. They were ready to follow it, climbing from one platform to platform, but suddenly, the dream changed.</p><p> In front of them, the platforms had been replaced with a dark tunnel. Hornet took one step in it. The walls were covered with soft moss and it had a downward slope. There was no evil intention coming from it, but it exhaled a quiet and mournful atmosphere. </p><p>Silently, with apprehension slowly building in their chests, they advanced though the tunnel, plunging themselves in its darkness.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. nostalgic memories</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which new charms are discovered and a dreamer is awaken.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The little troupe descended down the mossy tunnel. All silent, as if visiting a grave, as if they were about to touch a secret. Yet, the air of the dream, the unlying mixture of feeling and essence only exhaled compassion and sadness. Within a few more steps, the tunnel reached its end abruptly, leading to a cave with something like an old statue, though it was half crumbled, and none of them could recognise what it was supposed to represent.</p>
<p>In front of it, a small bug , strangely similar to Ghost and Hallow, with its white mask and empty eyes, was waiting for them silently. Hallow let out a bundle of unclear thoughts. There was something sad and familiar about the creature, their memories, so close to the surface now, were shaking slightly at its sight.</p>
<p>Hornet stepped forth. She asked:</p>
<p>- Who are you ? Why have you brought us here ?</p>
<p>- My name is worm, I called you here to help. They are things you must know.</p>
<p>The trio stared at eachother while Quirrel silently stepped back, he felt like he was intruding in a way he could not yet pinpoint.</p>
<p>- What is it ? Ghost asked. What do we have to know ?</p>
<p>- Do not worry, little one, everything will come in time. But first, worm wants to say that it is very sorry: it seems that the three of you still had to fight your way in here. Worm knows what you came here to do, It’s very sorry that this task has peen pushed onto you… Even this time.</p>
<p>- What is it ? Hallow asked. What do we have to do here ?</p>
<p>- Do not worry, child. You do not have to. Do this only if you want it, only if you think you can. If you want to free this place from the fiend that affects it, you will have to find the dreamers, wake them up and break the seal. This seal is no longer useful, it has failed to contain the infection, no longer does it need to exist.</p>
<p>- Yes, we want ! Said Hornet. We want to come back, as it was before.</p>
<p>The stranger paused a few seconds and lowered their head a little.</p>
<p>- Yet, before you go you must know that terrible foes will stand in your way, more powerful than you can imagine.</p>
<p>The three youths knew this already, they knew it, it seems, from the very beginning, yet those words let a surge of apprehension creep through their bodies. Together, however, they conveyed their determination. The stranger, it seems, felt it too, and said:</p>
<p>- If this is the path you chose, worm will use all of its limited power to assist you in your quest. Before it began to contain the infection, the pale being anticipated the possible failure of its plan, thus it prepared in case something like this should happen. The pale being has created different charms from the very essence of its body and soul. Find them and many will be saved.<br/>The first one is not far from here: it is hidden under a rune-stone just before the stag station in the resting grounds. Find it and you will find the others, as well as your memories.<br/>Pardon me now, worm’s influence here is fading, it will soon dwindle and disappear.</p>
<p>( As it was speaking, the creature and its surroundings were indeed becoming more clear and translucent)</p>
<p>- Please be safe, the creature continued, despite its fading voice and fading mind. You’ve done nothing to deserve these trials, no one should force you to fight. … Dear children, sorry…</p>
<p>The tunnel, the creature, all this had disappeared, they were still in the dream, still following the light of the moth, and the whole encounter felt like a dream within a dream.</p>
<p>The moth, who would later introduce herself as the seer, was kind and welcoming. She gave them the dream nail and taught them how to use it, she sent them in the search of essence, it seemed she knew too, in a way, what they were supposed to do. It was also then that Quirrel left the group. This had been a fun journey for him, but he felt he might be needed elsewhere ( or maybe he needed more space for himself, to think: these young one were, in a way, attached to things like destiny and higher magic, things a being like him could not reach without being burned.)</p>
<p>The trio easily recovered the first fragments of essence from the tree, Hallow looked at them like one would look at flowers or colourful shells.</p>
<p>Then, they found the rune stone. It was hidden more thoroughly than “worm” had described, and one had to find a secret passage under the station to get to it. Ghost equipped the charm, and all siblings felt its effects immediately. </p>
<p>“ Wyrm Sight” : this charm will reveal to the bearer the location of the other secret charms made from the being of Wyrm.</p>
<p>There where three other charms, located in Greepath, the City of Tears and the entrance of Deepnest. Retrieving them was a long adventure, even more so since it also included fights against ghosts within their dreams and running after glowing red lights across increasingly labyrinthic locations. </p>
<p>The second charm was the one from the city of tears. It had been hidden in the fountain erected in memory of the dreamers, in the centre, where it appeared something was missing. This other charm was white, like the previous, it was shaped like something resembling a closed hand. Hallow took it and they felt its purpose : </p>
<p>“ Wyrm blood: This charm will allow the bearer to grant life to those whose dreams are forcibly ended, as well as reinforce the life force of the bearer.”</p>
<p>With this, they felt a lot more comfortable, the damage they took from enemy attacks appeared considerably lower. </p>
<p>With this charm in their possession, the three of them headed to the city's spire. The path to ascend was a treacherous one, with many guards possessed by the infection, as well as “haunted armours”, as Hornet would call them with defiance. Yet, they finally found the body of the first dreamer, Lurien the Watcher. His sleeping form felt peaceful and dignified, even after all this time. With the use of the dream nail and the Wyrm Blood charm, the watcher woke up, breaking their seal, yet, still breathing, alive and filled with a strange energy.</p>
<p>His eyes opened slowly, after such a long time spent in slumber, he had a hard time adjusting to the light. Then, with surprise, he considered the three wanderers in front of him. His expression was one of bewilderment and awe; still doubting his own senses, he murmured: “ You came back ?”</p>
<p>Hornet looked at him with hope and apprehension, and spoke :</p>
<p>- It seems you know who we are, where we came from… Please tell us, dreamer ! Tell us, my sibling feel very impatient now, we want to remember, our memories have been swept away by the wasteland, tell us, please !</p>
<p>The watcher felt ill at ease at such a request. He did not understand how these children could have ended up here. Yet, he knew of the sufferings that could come with forgotten things, even if the truth was difficult, he had no right to deny it to these youths.<br/>In front of three pairs of inquisitive eyes, Lurien the watcher took a deep breath and began his tale.</p>
<p>“ I must first tell you who you are. You, lady Hornet, are the princess of deepnest, heir of Herrah the Beast. You then, if I remember well, are Hallow, prince of Hallownest, child of their majesties the pale king and the white lady. You, I think, are Ghost, I can tell from your horns, also prince of Hallownest and child of their majesties. How you came here, alas, I cannot tell, when you reached the limits of our dream, your minds were already blurred by the outside winds. However, I can tell you what happened to this kingdom, and how you left. <br/>The infection you witnessed coming here has plagued this place from a long time. It had appeared, in fact, even before you were born, and threatened the lives of the citizens of this kingdom. In order to stop this infection, the king made a great sacrifice: he used his own body to contain the infection, so that everyone could be safe, and us, dreamers, we assisted him by creating powerful seals at the price of our awake bodies. </p>
<p>From within, I was able to observe the world, as I always did. I saw the sorrow of the root, I saw your own sorrow, children, and your sibling’s at the loss of the king. Yet, the infection had been stopped, for a few years, the kingdom flourished in peace. </p>
<p>However, as you can tell by looking at the state of this city, this did not last long, and the king … or what was left of him, failed to contain the infection any further. Slowly, it began to sip out of his shell, to come back and plague our world. </p>
<p>The lady decided to take you to a remote place, far from the dangers of the infection, with the knights and the leaders of all factions, they chose hidden places, away from the infection. Some were strong enough to resist until now, and managed to stay in here, but most were not. Unable to fight back yet unable to leave, they succumbed to the infection.</p>
<p>Princes of Hallownest, princest of deepnest… You have undertaken a difficult task: if you truly intend to break other seals and proceed to the temple… then, the one you’ll have to fight will be the radiance herself.”</p>
<p>The siblings had listened to Lurien like children would listen to a bedtime story, with intensity and minds open to feelings and images, and took in every word with deference. Hallow had been right from the beginning, words, in this realm, were truly a form of magic, as the simple retelling of things passed evoqued in their souls the memories attached to it. </p>
<p>They remembered the walk away from the castle in which they had spent their childhood, with heavy hearts, how they passed the fountain honouring the watchers and the king. Their father, Hornet’s mother, being left behind, trapped in a sacrifice that had lost its meaning. They remembered the concealed road their mother took, roads carved from very ancient roots that were plunged in the earth way before the creation of the kingdom, taking heavy steps, wile their mother was humming the reassuring song she would always use before everything happened, to lull them to sleep.</p>
<p>Their purpose was quite clear, now. They were here to free the dreamers, to end this all, banish, or destroy the radiance, maybe even save the king … save their father.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. reunions</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>In a distant cave, by the most remote parts of the howling cliffs, three siblings were plotting a grand escape. </p>
<p>They had come from a kingdom of wonders and mysteries, of deep history and riddles, their whole beings were tied to the essence of the place, and their heart, heart of void, bug or Wyrm, their hearts ached at the thought that this place would be forever forsaken.</p>
<p>The embrace of their mother was sweet and loving, and words were reassuring: we will come back, eventually, she would say, when the illness will be less dangerous, when it will exhaust its power, in only ten or twenty years, I will send knights to prepare the way. Ten or twenty years might have seemed negligible for her, as a higher being, time in her eyes took the shape of centuries, of species changing, people being born and dying, but for them, for children whom short life had been filled with so much, so many experiences, feelings, sad and happy memories, this was an excruciatingly long time, a time in which they could grow, change, forget, let their old hearts, their old affections die in silent sorrow and peaceful indifference. Wait so long, they could not, hence, three of them decided to take action.</p>
<p>It was to be expected that Hornet would join this reckless project: her mother too had been left behind, getting back to Hallownest was a way for her to reunite with her parents. This was also thrue for Hallow and Ghost: unlike most of their siblings, who greatly preferred their mother, they both had a strong attachment to the king, and despite the aura of sadness that surrounded him and often pushed other siblings away, they had always wanted to become closer, to understand him a little.</p>
<p>“ We can go tomorrow night, Hornet said, Ogrim will be keeping watch at the back door, then, and I know he always falls asleep during duty. We will sneak out then !”</p>
<p>“ I agree, said Hallow in his thoughts. During training, let’s exhaust him as much as possible.”</p>
<p>“ This much, we can do with ease, Ghost projected.”</p>
<p>It was true that the trio had grown competent in combat during all this time, and that Ogrim, when asked, never refused to take them on. </p>
<p>“ Then, Hornet continued, we will go back to Hallownest, we will wake up father and mother and destroy the bad light for good !”</p>
<p>With this, the plan was set, enunciated with certainty and enthusiasm, as if it were a simple thing. Yet, the sibling could feel it, fear and apprehension, and the idea that down there, they might not find the things they expected.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Through the unending dunes of the wastelands, three siblings were making their way. Who were they, where did they come from ? This much, none of them could recall. This place was not made for beings their size, or minds like their own. All they could perceive was the unending wind, charged with pieces of mind and souls it had taken from other adventurers, and, most of all, the call. The call that allowed them to say they were not lost, the call, distant and warm, guiding them towards their destination, even through the hostility of the desert. </p>
<p>The walk was long, long like things one cannot measure with ideas of time or memories, and yet, they found their way. They fond the entrance, the beginnings of the great caverns, their home.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>This much, now, after Lurien’s story, they remembered. </p>
<p>Their story was now clear, and their purpose was set. With Lurien waiting for them in the city, preparing for the destruction of the final seal, the trio continued their quest.</p>
<p>First, they went for the second charm that was indicated on the map they had purchased in the beginning of their journey, the one from Greenpath. Now, it wasn’t so difficult to progress through the caves: they knew the ways of their enemies and the fastest paths they could chose. This charm was not so difficult to find, when one knew were it was: in a secret passage obscured by roots and leaves, it laid on a piece of wood, ready to be taken. The charm was filled with powerful magic, something wild and unending was swirling within it, trapped by a complex combination of spells and artefact crafting. Hallow equipped the charm :</p>
<p>“Wyrm Soul : this will allow the bearer to be filled with an unending amount of soul taken from the Wyrm’s essence.”</p>
<p>With this in their possession, they continued their quest, now well assured that another power had been helping them from a distant past, that it was still trying to lend them power and advice.</p>
<p>Then, they headed towards their new goal: the archives of Monomon the Teacher. </p>
<p>Quirrel was waiting for them, in front of the entrance. He too, had recovered his memories. He was here to help in the revival of the “madam”, to bring her precious mask and accomplish his purpose. What would he lived for, after this? This question had lingered in his mind from the moment his memories went back. What a strange thing it would be, to have fully fulfilled one’s purpose…</p>
<p>Yet, for now, he didn’t have much time to let his thoughts wander: the siblings were intent in completing their mission, and his help was required. The four of them were not too much to beat Uumuu. The thing had been so engrossed in its duty that it couldn’t recognise the scholar, all thoughts had left it, and it kept doing what it was ordered to long ago, without will of its own. <br/>After a lot of jumps to escape its dangerous lighting, the guard was finally vanquished, and they gain access to the teacher’s sleeping form.</p>
<p>With dream nail and Wyrm Blood, another dreamer was awaken and saved.</p>
<p>- How strange it is, children, she said, how strange it is that life came back to me with the end of this slumber. I was prepared, I had all the time needed to imagine what it would be to just disappear, and yet here I am. This is unheard of ! Princes and Princess of Hallownest and Deepnest, it is a strange thing you have accomplished here !</p>
<p>- We did it ! Sang Hornet with satisfaction. My siblings say it is thanks to the kind moth lady and the weird grey bug.</p>
<p>- A weird grey bug ? The teacher asked, full of curiosity.</p>
<p>- Yes ! Said Hornet loudly. A weird bug has given us the emplacement of powerful charms. We have three now, and with the last one in Deepnest, we will have retrieved all of them.</p>
<p>Ghost and Hallow were tiptoeing around the teacher, the enthusiasm of their sister, no doubt, had gained them too.</p>
<p>- How interesting and strange, Monomon laughed. Could you let me see these charms, young ones ? I have to admit my scholarly spirit is now dying to study such artefacts !</p>
<p>Ghost and Hallow handed her the three charms of Wyrm Sight, Wyrm Blood and Wyrm Soul. She took them with an expression of pure delight, it was indeed a great surprise for her, to discover such a new field of study so shortly after waking. She began to observe the Wyrm Blood charm, still brimming with excitement. Strange notes began to appear in her acid as she examined the object.</p>
<p>However, from inspiration and glee, he expression slowly turned to worry and sadness. She turned towards the siblings, thankful that her mask could hide her unease. </p>
<p>“ These are very powerful charms, indeed. We should be thankful for the one who offered them. One must give a lot to obtain such artefacts, and this is a gift that shall be used with respect. Take good care of there charms, young heirs, and go wake my friend Herrah. With all of us here, and these new powers in our grasp, I feel the fate of the kingdom can be changed.”<br/>The three siblings continued towards Deepnest, leaving Monomon and Quirrel behind them, as they prepared to join Lurien in his preparation.</p>
<p>Hornet was full of joy at the idea of reuniting with her mother. She launched her needle playfully at every moving thing, and hurried in the dark, even if her brothers seemed a lot less confident in this area. As expected, they found the last charm in the entrance of Deepnest. It was hidden within an old soul totem. This charm was different from the others: it looked like a simple pale orb that emitted a pure white light. Ghost took it with a slight apprehension, as it was obvious from the feel of the chitin that constituted the orb, this had been made from a living being.</p>
<p>“Wyrm Mind : this charm contains the influence of the Wyrm in Hallownest. Its light will continue to grant free mind to the inhabitants of the kingdom, and this, as long as living things walk these parts.”</p>
<p>Ghost hid the charm deep in their void, and they continued their journey.</p>
<p>After figting spiders of all sorts, and discovering the den of a Nosk the group finally found the heart of Deepnest, and within it, the sleeping body of Herrah. <br/>Hornet felt a surge of joy at the sight of  her mother, and even if she was barely awaken by her siblings, she pulled her in a tight embrace.</p>
<p>Herrah slowly crept out of her slumber. She murmured: “ Hornet, my dear child. You came to find me…” She hugged her daughter tigtly, both crying with joy in their reunion.</p>
<p>The siblings rejoiced in this heartfelt moment, then proceeded to inform Herrah of their plan. </p>
<p>- I see, she answered. So you all really intend to end this once and for all. How brave of you, how final, too. After everything you went through, I have no right to stop you in your tracks. But be prepared. I will do everything I can to protect you until the end.</p>
<p>On those words, they quickly left the place, and hurried to the temple of the black egg. In front of it, Quirrel, Lurien and Monomon were waiting for them. They had prepared many seals and other magic contraptions, all seemed ready to enter the temple and break the final seal.</p>
<p>Every preparation had been made; the group entered .</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Things that are done behind closed doors</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>WARNING : the tags for self harm and violence are for this chapter. This will contained heavily detailed depictions of self hatred and self inflicted injuries, so proceed with care !</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Silver blood dripped slowly into the strange contraption, mixing with runes, magic and alchemy, letting a new, powerful charm be born. A lot of blood was necessary for this one, after all, this charm was supposed to be a bringer of life, in its complete form, it had to be able to pull bodies to the side of the living, to fill them with new life essence and let them exist as long as they could. <br/>For such a power, this was a very small price to pay, this blood.<br/>It was not a hindrance, nor a very difficult task.<br/>He had already paid costs that were so much greater .</p>
<p>To say the truth, the pale king even found a strange kind of solace in the completion of this artefact. The sensations it brought him, the sharp pain coming with a new wound, the vibrations in his head and the tremors traversing his body as he pushed through its limit to give more, the black dots appearing in his vision towards the end… All this made him feel a little better.<br/>“When you suffer like this, the voice said, especially to create this beautiful gift, even I can feel that perhaps, you can still exist in this world.”</p>
<p>Pain, in fact, was a good remedy. Even when the first charm, simply named “Wyrm Blood”, was completed, he would still resort to the blades when the guilt of the day, the guilt that slowly built up every time, seeing the children, seeing the dear root, would become too much to bear. </p>
<p>It usually began in the middle of the evening, with the same little lies he could now tell without even thinking ( “I have to go to the workshop, or I will forget this new idea. I have to work fast, or we will never be able to fight the infection. Don’t worry, I’ll eat dinner later, go to bed and sleep well, I need you in good shape to go through these hard times.”) <br/>The truth was tat he couldn’t swallow anything, in times like these, let alone sleep or drink. His insides were twisting painfully, and he could feel his breathing becoming uneven. The new voice was louder at these times, too : “Do it now, it repeated, how do you dare to live longer in this place you cursed, with these children you killed, stop waiting, you can do it right here, right now, and this world will finally be free” . His mind’s answers were weak, his mind wished it could forget, it could stop thinking, just disappear. And everything would be so much better.</p>
<p>Still, he wasn’t ready, he was not prepared. He knew that the probability of failure was still high ( “after all, what can a worm like you do, but fail ?”) he had to prepare a way to help others to end it all, or his sacrifice ( his punishment) would be for nothing. </p>
<p>So he locked the door of the workshop, closed every window, because he could not control his uneven breath and trembling hands. So, he let his body fall on the cold floor and summoned the small soul nails. This was the only way to calm the call of the void.</p>
<p>( “ pay a little know, the voice whispered, pay a little now and more time will be bought. If you bleed this time too, you’ll be able to live a little longer.”)</p>
<p>The two charms named Wyrm Sight and Wyrm Soul were easier to create. These would only take their effects if he really failed, they were spells on his chitin that ensured that it would happen, would he fall to the radiance’s power. How would it feel, if it happened, though ? The pale king could not imagine what it would be, to loose at once the essence of his self as the Wyrm, visions and souls, and what he could become after this. </p>
<p>He felt this way about Wyrm Mind too. This last charm was the most difficult to create, he had looked forward to it, yet, had always postponed its creation. With this one completed, his plan could finally be set in motion.</p>
<p>Wyrm Mind was a charm that needed … particular raw material. As a surrogate for the wyrm’s power within Hallownest, it needed to be made only from wyrm. Not pale ore, this time, just… himself. </p>
<p>The pale king had no difficulties picking the part of his body that could be used. His second pair of arm was always hidden beneath is robes, and for weeks, he had never let anyone, even the white lady, see him without them. Even if this was a drastic change in his body, hopefully, no one would notice, no one would stop him.<br/>( “ Weak desire again, the new voice whispered, a part of you wants to be stopped, doesn’t it, you cowardly wretch, pathetic excuse for a king !”)</p>
<p>The voice was right, this time too, he thought. Yet his deeds had denied him the right to be saved long ago.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The creation of the last charm was more painful than he had imagined, way more painful than the bleeding and the cuts. The first try was a failure: the sensation of the blade tearing through his flesh, cutting the ligaments and scraping the bone was too much to bear, and he lost consciousness. ( The new voice would never let him hear the end of it).</p>
<p>The second time, well aware of his weakness, the king used a Kingsmould to do the job. The thing was well programmed and unflinching, it did it with no hesitation, a lot quicker than the first time. ( It was still the worst pain his body had felt, though, the worst of it was the suppression of his survival instincts, the way he had to stop his body’s reaction with every last drop of his will and soul. This reminded him too strongly that he was still a living creature, after all this, that his pain could still bring tears and that he would still try to escape. “ How dare you”, the voice repeated.)</p>
<p>With flesh, chitin and bone of wyrm, the last charm was almost completed. The only part it lacked was the power of mind.</p>
<p>The next day would we the last day of torment. Silently, he crept through the kingdom and hid carefully the charms he created, so that no one with ill intent could use them.</p>
<p>Then, he advanced towards the temple, with the three dreamers, in a silent ceremony. </p>
<p>The chains were heaved, the doors was closed, void overcome his mind and body.</p>
<p>The fight began.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>…</p>
<p> </p>
<p>After time unmeasured, sufferings slowly remembered, born again from every burning orb and shining blades, he lost the fight. His body and mind failed to contained, the Radiance itself escaped with a high pitch laughter.</p>
<p>“ And again, you fail worm, as you will fail always. See you in your regrets !”</p>
<p>To the Radiance’s surprise, the hidden runes were activated, resonating with the three charms, the mind that trapped her began to shake and crumble, its essence and powers forcefully taken apart, leaving… Nothing. Emptiness, Hollow. The Radiance, aware that her infection was now freed, found herself in a vast sea of nothingness.</p>
<p>“ What is this trick ?” She shouted.</p>
<p>Nothing answered.</p>
<p>Her light was bright, but yet so dimmed, in total darkness, within the empty husk of a mind that was… nevermore.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>In the utmost confines of the barren lands of dreams, far away from its sun and from everything else, closer, it seemed, to the lands of the dead, lost minds and visions unseen, a small figure emerged from the dust. It had the appearance of a greyish bug with no light and no crown, its body no longer the body of the Wyrm, its mind no longer the mind of a higher being. </p>
<p>This bug had nothing left from what it was before. Nothing except… memories.</p>
<p>The loss of mind, the loss of soul, all this was nothing like going gentle into the deep, slowly becoming, peacefully, nothing. It had felt everything. The indescribable pain of mind and soul being ripped apart, torn like paper and wings by cruel magic, the horrid sensation of destruction of the self, of the uttermost form of loss.</p>
<p>All this, it had felt.</p>
<p>All this, it remembered.</p>
<p>Yet, the being, in a way, felt lighter than it even had. No longer Wyrm, no longer king, no longer higher being… Now it could creep peacefully towards darkness and no fate would bring him back. No fate, no vision, just a little life lost in dust and oblivion.</p>
<p>The being tried to find a name for itself. Its previous form, in its prideful ignorance, had never been given a name of its own. It had always been called by the name of its species, Wyrm, or by its title, Pale King. </p>
<p>“No longer Wyrm, no longer King no longer pale”, the being laughed softly. “ The only thing left is a convenient name. I have nothing now but memories…” The small being noticed it didn’t like to say “I”, or even to refer to itself as “he” . This reminded it too much of what it was before. Besides, this was an entitlement creatures like itself did not earn.</p>
<p>It had only one thing left to do: to make sure everything was okay for the ones it still loved, that everything would happen like it did. Then, it would be able to go.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The creature walked for a long time across the land of memories, its private domain now, one he knew well and that would no longer change. Sitting in darkness, it waited. How long, it did not know. Here, time was nothing really, and this meditation in the dark felt like a long awaited rest.</p>
<p>Suddenly, a being that was blindingly bright appeared before him, draped in all the glory of its former self. How the creature pitied this king. Now, it was not even able to hate him.</p>
<p>“ Who are you ?”, this bright, ignorant king said, full of fear and surprise, his being still flowing with power and emotions.</p>
<p>The creature smiled, and answered :</p>
<p>“ My name is worm, the knower of truths. Come through this path and you will remember.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Worm really liked its new name.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Gods and Sorrow</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The fight finally happens !</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The knight and their siblings stepped into the temple of the black egg, draped in magic and protection weaved by the dreamers, with the power granted by pale charms, together with their memories and goals well in reach, they felt that everything up until now had paved their way towards victory.</p>
<p>They walked in darkness, amidst the elegant symbols of the seals, confident thanks to their many allies, but still uncertain about their heart, about the things they could find, in the heart of the temple.</p>
<p>They broke the door and trespassed into the innermost limit of the black egg. </p>
<p>What they would find there they had already imagined. Upon entering the temple, they were already prepared to see their father, to finally put an end to this sacrifice, they were ready to witness him again, ready to see him taken over by the infection and to fight him with all their might, because it was the only way.</p>
<p>They were not ready.</p>
<p> Hanged in numerous chains from the ceiling, each supporting seals still powerful, hanged the dilapidated remnants of the pale king. The light of is body had faded, his mask seemed now dusty and fragile like clay. Within his empty eyes, the orange light was swirling furiously. </p>
<p>Hallow broke the chains easily with their nail, and the form fell and hit the ground with a loud sound of chains ( and the sound, Hornet could swear, of something else, breaking or already broken. ) They waited a few seconds, still doubting, until Ghost finally approached with the dream nail in hand. They were ready to hit the king with it, when, suddenly, the harsh shriek of the trapped god resounded from the body, echoing through the whole temple. The infected body began to rise, its movements controlled by pulsing orange veins, and it began to throw acid in all directions. </p>
<p>The siblings took their stance, ready to fight. <br/>Faced with the orange thing that was no longer their father ( this, they could tell from the moment they saw the empty form, without soul or light ) , they began their dance. <br/>“ SHAW !” In one quick attack, hornet crashed in its face, her needle broke effortlessly through the crown, making it shatter like old glass. Following their example, the sibling began their attacks too.</p>
<p>It quickly became evident that albeit being the most powerful being in Hallownest, the radiance could only do so much with this body : The king, when alive, was a terrifying opponent, master of magic and blades, but now, his body was unable to use its former might. This was nothing but a small and empty vessel that the infection tried to control, and spewed acid from time to time.</p>
<p>Hornet and Hallow controlled it quickly, and Ghost finally hit it with the dream nail. </p>
<p>They hit it again and again, yet, found themselves in no dream.</p>
<p>Suddenly, the kings body emitted a strong golden light.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>…</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Alone in darkness infinite, the radiance was fuming with rage. Despite her large size, her unstoppable might, her victory over the vain civilisation that claimed minds for every lowly creature, she still felt dim and alone. For the brightest light still shines in the dark, with nothing in sight to reflect it.</p>
<p>“ Damn this pitiful king ! She hurled with uncontainable spite . Even in death, this worm pulls a last trick on me ! This crawling creature that could never fight my blazing light, this … spawn of the most tainted earth, stupid, weak monster ! Even then it set its last trap… To think it would give so much this time to leave me in darkness…”</p>
<p>Then the radiance lifted her head and let out a long resounding laugh, that rang through the void itself.</p>
<p>“ But this too, was so vain, lowly cockroach, so foolish a hope, so useless a sacrifice ! I can feel my power over this nest growing, so many minds are mine now, and despite this puny prison, my might is growing so ! Soon, I will be free, and all will bow to me and be my slave, the eyes of their mind will never be able to bear my burning light !”</p>
<p>Then, as if to compliment her words, a breach opened in its darkness, a breach made of dreams and hopes.</p>
<p>The radiance’s smile grew larger and she laughed:</p>
<p>“ See, earthworm, see, your naive spawns are already coming over to me, their little beating hearts could never bear to forsake as much as you did. How I could feel their delusion, they really think they can take me on… As I am called, lowly creatures, I will come forth ! Prepare to regret, prepare to die ! Your prideful plans reach their end now !”</p>
<p>…</p>
<p> </p>
<p>In a loud, blasting explosion of light, the siblings were rejected outside the temple. Them and the dreamers alike beheld, in utter shock and fear : above the crumbled temple, in stead of which one could only find a deep crater, a blazing sun was burning, emitting a sinister glee.<br/>Radiance was now before them, in reality, more powerful, it seemed, than she ever was.</p>
<p>However, ghost took a step forward, lifting their nail.</p>
<p>Challenge.</p>
<p>And so, the real fight began.</p>
<p>The dreamers, uniting their knowledge and power, erected a magic barrier around them to stop the radiance from inflicting further damage upon the crossroads.</p>
<p>The siblings fought and jumped harder than they ever had, trying their best to avoid the Radiance’s many attacks, blades and orbs alike. Everything was flying to them in a quick succession, many times, it almost touched one of them, menacing to burn them to death. Though it didn’t.</p>
<p>“ Stop jumping around like this, foolish little worms ! The moment you called me in this world, you had already sealed your demise !”</p>
<p>Yet, the siblings still escaped, again and again, even managing to touch her with their nails and spells. The Radiance could not help but wonder how such a thing was even possible. It was as if they already knew every pattern she could launch at them, every attack.</p>
<p>In this the Radiance was not wrong.</p>
<p>From the beginning of the fight, the power of the Wyrm Sight charm had surrounded the siblings, revealing its true purpose. Their minds were now flashing with clear visions of the Radiances future attacks, they felt like they had been doing this forever, knowing every feint, every orb’s trajectory. It was as if the memories of an endless fight against her had been implemented in their consciousness. This made they move like they had never moved before, taking flight in jumps and various techniques, experiencing true might and freedom on the tip of their blades, and yet this was so painful every time. Seing all the radiance’s fast attacks brought back memories of being hit countless time by these same swords, being thrown back in the burning air again and again ( but this was not them, wasn’t it, these memories were not theirs, they could tell this much, for it was made of white swords, endless pains and scorched wings) .</p>
<p>Radiance was furious: how could they avoid her, how could they fight like this, as if they knew… She increased the power and the pace of her attacks, which eventually touched Hallow, when they were too busy launching a spell towards her. And yet, how fast they managed to heal: An endless amount of soul ( Wyrm Soul) was floating around them, aiding and protecting the siblings in their fight, giving them life and magic to continue, to push forward towards victory. </p>
<p>She could not help to feel their attacks taking a toil on her, too. Her power was drained, her light began to flicker, and very far below, something had sensed her weakness.</p>
<p>Ascending through the crater her appearance had left, long tentacles of void had appeared, looming from all side around her, as her light seemed so weak, now, surrounded with the void, the void so very deep it engulfed her brightness like it was nothing, that crept closer and closer, while she could do naught, forced to defend against the siblings, against the spawns of everything she abhorred.</p>
<p>She felt helpless, faced with the end, the end unavoidable, her first real loss, her … death ? <br/>Was that it ? The way an immortal felt in the face of destiny ? The way a god faced something like the end, like utter destruction, nothingness ? <br/>Was this the meaning of his words ?</p>
<p>“ You’re still blinded by your own light ! But one day you will see your fate, see your nature and despair !”</p>
<p>See the pitiful existence of gods, the nameless ones, and despair.</p>
<p>And how the torch risen high in the face of oblivion quivered, how her flame, the sun, the ultimate light, the awe inspiring radiance, how it trembled now, engulfed in the void.</p>
<p>The voice of death, the voice of existence, of destinies and stories laughed sweetly in her hear :</p>
<p>“ This is the beginning of your own tragedy . See the life of the immortal and despair. See how death has abandoned you, and despair .”</p>
<p>The light disappeared, and an unending darkness rose in Hallownest. The void seeped back in its abyss, in perfect silence, casting strange shadows as it passed the eyes of the siblings and their friends.<br/>In every corner of the lost kingdoms, a pale light touched the minds of the infected ones, and they all woke up from what seemed a very long slumber.</p>
<p>Exhausted by the fight, the siblings fell on their knees, leaning on each other. In their hands, the pale charms were now grey and full of black cracks, no power emanated from it. <br/>Herrah came to the siblings and embraced all of them. Lurien too, accompanied by Monomon and Quirrel. An overwhelming feeling of relief had overtaken them, all they could do was cry for joy, holding the hands of the one they loved, in this place in which they could finally return.</p>
<p>Return, rebuild, be happy in this kingdom reborn and brought anew, finally live the life they had been promised, with their mothers and other siblings, with the friends made on their perilous journey.</p>
<p>“ Mother, dear siblings, Hallow thought, please come back.”</p>
<p>Quirrel accepted to deliver the message to the others: Monomon had taught his the paths of the root, and after all, he had seen them once too. A way he could easily follow, and above all, a new mission. For this, he was very thankful.</p>
<p>...</p>
<p>Within two days, the white lady and the exiled population returned to the kingdom. The root had been very worried over the three disobedient ones, but seeing what they had done, she could never scold them for their temerity. She just took Ghost, Hallow and Hornet in her arms and cried tears of relief and happiness. <br/>Everyone was enjoying the reunion with loved ones, friends and family they had thought long lost to the infection.<br/>The rebuilt  of  Hallownest could come later. Now, the only thing they wanted was to celebrate.</p>
<p>The white lady assisted gleefully to the reunion between her many children, between the knights and the dreamers, she herself delighted in seeing again Lurien and Monomon, even Herrah, who was so happy to spend time with the daughter she had missed so much.</p>
<p>Then, she guided them to the tents she had prepared, so they could sleep, without worries for the things in their dreams. All of them were exhausted after this fight, and quickly fell into a deep slumber. </p>
<p>In the crossroads now calm and silent, the root walked towards the remnants of the temple. It had collapsed over several layers of the forgotten crossroads, maybe even deeper. <br/>Sat in front of the deep pit, she looked at the white charm her dear child had given her. They really wanted her to have it, and she could understand why.<br/>As soon as she had seen it, she had understood its purpose.</p>
<p>“ Wyrm Mind charm… she whispered. Quite clever indeed”</p>
<p>A pale tear fell into the gaping pit, lighting it an instant with its small glimmer. </p>
<p>“ Fare thee well, dearest Wyrm … and … thank you.”</p>
<p>Alone in the temples ruin, the white lady sobbed softly, conforting herself with a song.</p>
<p>“ What a cruel happiness you offer me, dear Wyrm, what a bitter present. With all this done, how could I live, and not think of you ?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>…</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Somewhere, where exactly, it could not tell, the knower of truths crept from under a pile of carapace and broken chains. There was something leaking through its fingers and between its torn robe. Sensations were back. It hurt.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Lumafly</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Welcome to the second part of this fic !</p><p>This part will be about the pale king recovery ! Will he manage to overcome his guilt and trauma and stop being " worm the knower of truths" ?<br/>Let's find out !</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>A little light was born from dreams. A very small light, very faint, breathing softly under its velvet fur, taking in the songs of mothers, the gentle melodies of eyes closed, taking it all in, in its vibrant kingdom slowly being born from slumber.<br/>
Was it a god ? Was it a ghost, a simple trace left by minds travelling out of space and time ?<br/>
It did not know, yet, it had forgotten its tragedy.<br/>
It had no name yet, just the warm flame of sweet dreams, golden, ablaze yet not burning, just the sweetest moments of sleep.<br/>
It was just a little being, a little thing made of emotions, the quiet and peaceful denizen of the land of the sleeping, the reassuring light,<br/>
Radiance.</p><p>Born like every other creature, worm thought, seeing this quick image while the last ray of light was engulfed by void. Born like the Wyrm and the Root, and every other creature. She was small, then, and surrounded with the love of dreamers. Worm could not hate her anymore: From desperation, she had brought upon many deaths and many suffering, to stay a god, she was ready to do so much. Just like worm did, before discarding his own self.</p><p>And darkness rose again, taking over worm’s fading sight, leaving only …</p><p>Pain ?<br/>
This was a pain made of body and dust, made of the sickening taste of blood in its mouth and weight pressing it on the ground. Worm struggled, crawling from under these thing, still plunged in perfect darkness, as it felt something liquid being absorbed by the torn robes. This was no longer the place between life and death, the place between darkness and dream… this was reality, meaning that worm was alive. This was such a strange thing, to be alive. The sensations of weight, of stone and pebbles under its body, and most of all, the pain, from its chest, from its head, it had become foreign and unusual. One thing was for sure: it was really uncomfortable to be in this body.</p><p>With a final effort, worm managed to pull itself out of the rubble. It crawled haphazardly and found a wall on which it leant to rest. Worm could feel it clearly, now, the blood was leaking from a large cut on its chest, and its left arm seemed broken (it emitted intense pain and worm didn’t seem to be able to move it at all. There was also a buzzing sound resounding in its head, which didn’t help with the quickly settling migraine … But first, worm had to deal with the blood loss, as it felt itself quickly becoming light headed, with the sounds intensifying, and the tell tale sensation of cold creeping through its arms and legs.<br/>
Worst of all, the place was still plunged in total darkness, which was quite rare, despite the kingdom being underground, their were many sources of light coming from bioluminescent organisms, so worm had to be very deep, somewhere in Deepnest, maybe, or even the abyss ? No, it was somewhere else, the air had the smell of water and steel, and besides the buzzing, worm could hear something more, something like rain calmly falling down. This had to be the city of tears.</p><p>Worm slowly made its way along the wall, using it to move, as it could not stand, lest it should completely lose consciousness, nor use its arms to drag itself around. Within painfully long minutes, worm moved a few steps to the right, and finally felt something under its hand that was not cold stone. This was a round object with a soft texture, probably made of glass. It emitted a faint heat, as well as small energy charges that manifested through a weak vibration.<br/>
Worm felt tears gathering in its eyes. It took the orb with its valid arm and held it tight against its chest, as it heard a faint whimper coming from its throat. Worm hugged the orb event tighter, alone in this perfect darkness.</p><p>The orb was a lumafly lantern.</p><p>How ironic, it thought, that the kingdom worm’s children saved, never will worm see it with its very eyes.<br/>
It should have thought about it, though, when creating the Wyrm Sight charm. Well, it was too late now, and this was but a small price to pay, compared to everything that had been destroyed to reach this result.</p><p>Worm felt the ground against its head, against its back. When had it fallen ? It could not tell, but the pain was becoming duller and duller, being replaced by the cold. Well, this was death, it seemed. The long awaited had arrived without pomp, death would take worm alone, suffering and blind, without even letting it check if the children were doing well, if the queen and the other had been able to come back. Death so long denied had seized worm in its claw, smiling its mirthful smile, as it thought “ How funny it is that now, I don’t want to die … yet”.</p><p>Across the cold darkness, from very far, it seemed, worm could hear a voice.</p><p>“ Sir ? Sir ? Can you hear me ? Don’t move, just nod if you can hear me !”</p><p>Worm nodded very weakly. It seemed that everything around it was swirling and it felt the urge to vomit.</p><p>“ I’ll tend to your wounds, now, just do not move and try to stay awake, okay ?”</p><p>Worm felt something being pulled tightly around its chest, while the swirling sensation got even worst.</p><p>“ Scrap ! This is a very bad wound ! You really have poor luck, being caught in the collapsing of this ceiling. Can you still hear me ?”</p><p>With great effort, worm tried to say yes in order to avoid moving its head again, but was only about to let out a pitiful gurgle. Its throat was dry, and it felt like he didn’t speak for decades ( when worm would have recovered its senses, it would find out that it had, indeed, not spoken for decades). The voice ( A very kind and soft voice, worm thought), the voice grew more concerned.</p><p>“ Don’t die on me, sir, I’m almost finished !”</p><p>Worm felt the saviour’s hands finishing their work. The light headedness was still here, but the pain was back now, cruelly reminiscing it about the poor state of its body. It did not seem like the world around him was spinning, and the stranger was letting out sighs of relief. Life was no longer seeping away, it seemed, so worm let go. It was so very tired, and it could not hold it back anymore.</p><p>Worm fell into a deep slumber.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Perhaps some clarification about " worm ". Depending on how you think of it, worm is the pale king but he is not: he no longer has the Wyrm powers that defined him as a higher being, so now he's just a normal bug, but he still has all the memories.<br/>The way he'll be written is OOC, but it makes sense with the rest of the fic, I think.</p><p>Even after everything he did, the pale king is still feeling extreme shame and guilt over his actions ( which is amplified by the fact that he had to lie to everyone and make the root depressed to be able to enact his plan ). </p><p>So to summarize, the pale king as reached a level of guilt, shame and self hatred so high that he doesn't want to be the pale king anymore. He chose the name "worm" and uses the "it" pronoun as a way to deal with this, chosing to be refered to as a lower being is used as some kind of punishment for his excessive pride. </p><p>All, in all, the whole " worm is its name" thing is just a very unhealthy coping mechanism.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. water and steam</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Worm eats soup and has an epiphany.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Worm woke up again to the sound of the saviour’s voice. They were singing a joyful tune while doing something including the sound of pots and fire, probably cooking, given the agreeable smell that filled the air. Worm could no longer feel the blood dripping, but the pain was still here, buzzing through its whole body, not as intense as it was before but in a lingering state that compelled the bug to focus on it, which was not a very good idea.<br/>
Hopefully, the stranger could give a good enough distraction. Worm cleared its throat, trying to articulate a few words, but was immediately cut of by the voice, which was now a mix of worries and excitement.</p><p>“ Oh, you’re awake ! Wait, wait. Your were saying very weird things earlier when you were still incoherent, do you understand me now ?”</p><p>Worm hoped it didn’t utter traumatising things to the poor stranger, and answered in a tired voice.</p><p>“Yes, can understand… Where are we now, who are you ?”</p><p>The stranger chuckled : “My name is Cloth, and I’m a valiant adventurer that came to discover the wonders of these lost ruins and fight powerful opponents. I was making my way through the city when I heard a very loud explosion. So I came to see what it was about, and I saw that something had crashed through the ceiling, they were rumbles everywhere. I was curious so I came closer, and I found you ! You were taken in the collapse, weren’t you ?”</p><p>Worm chuckled a little. Cloth seemed to be a very enthusiastic person. It listened intently as she continued :</p><p>“ And now, we’re in my tent, I set this lil’ camp in the tunnels with all the moss and plant, it’s very comfortable ! I even found these small mushrooms on the ceiling, they’re delicious. I made a soup with it if you want to try them. But ! I almost forgot !”</p><p>Worm heard the adventurer fidgeting with something in front of them, then saying, victoriously : </p><p>“ How many fingers ?”</p><p>Worm tilted its head, not sure to understand what she meant, and answered :</p><p>“ I – er Have three fingers, but why do you ask ? It’s the normal number …” ( Definitely, worm didn’t like to say “I”. It sounded strange and inappropriate.)</p><p>“No, sir, you’re being weird ! I mean how many fingers am I showing you right now? With all this stuff falling on you, you might have a … Cushion ? Confusion ?”</p><p>Worm laughed a little : “ Concussion is probably what you mean. But, sorry, can’t answer that. Blind.”</p><p>The adventurer, Cloth, stayed silent for an instant, then spoke, fussing all around worm, deeply embarrassed, it seemed.</p><p>“ Sorry sir ! I couldn’t tell, I didn’t mean to … I’m so dumb !”</p><p>“ You do not need to be sorry, Cloth, and you’re far from stupid, if you’re an adventurer around those parts, it must mean that you’re powerful and reliable. Should make amends … myself. Did not thank you yet. Thank you very much for saving me, Cloth the adventurer. Will be forever grateful.”</p><p>Even without sight, worm could feel that she was beaming. It was a very lucky call, being rescued just in time by such a nice person. Being lucky was a very unusual thing. Very strange indeed that a being like worm could now afford luck.<br/>
Worm suddenly felt bad about the whole situation. Cloth the adventurer probably had to change her plans to help, she said she was here for the thrills of fights and discoveries, not to act as a nurse for a useless cripple that wasn’t going to live much longer anyway.</p><p>“ Sorry, it said … For holding you back…”</p><p>The soft clatter of the spoon against the pot stopped for an instant.</p><p>“ What do you mean ?”</p><p>“ You probably wanted to head down below, you know, for your adventures …”</p><p>Cloth chuckled, and the smell of food became more pronounced as a stray of warmth touched worm’s face. </p><p>“ Don’t worry about that, I have all the time in the world. Besides, saving you is also an adventure in its own right, this will make a fun addition to the saga of Cloth’s journey. The readers would be so interested by this development … Maybe I could write that you were some kind of mysterious seer that will give me cryptic indications to help me in my quest !”</p><p>Worm felt amused. It had done that, in a way, with the three brave children. Maybe this was a fitting role to have in other people’s stories. This would be, yes, had he still the sight. This role, like all others, was one it could do longer have, one it didn’t deserve.<br/>
The thoughts were interrupted by Cloth’s voice.</p><p>“ But ! How rude of me ! I forgot you ask your name !”</p><p>The grey being began to answer mechanically : “ my name is worm, the kno- ( wait. This too, was a lie, another title undeserved, another remnant of the pale one’s overwhelming pride, this was another thing it could be no longer. All the truths it knew had now been told, so truly, right now, it was the knower of nothing) . </p><p>After a long pause ( how long was it, worm couldn’t tell), the bug rephrased its sentence awkwardly.<br/>
“ Mean … Just worm”</p><p>“ It’s a pleasure to meet you, mister worm !” Cloth said, with this joyful tone of hers.</p><p>“ Worm alone is fine. A being like me shouldn’t be called “mister”, after all.”</p><p>“ Okay, no problem, Worm ! So, now that the presentations are made, let’s get to the important stuff !”</p><p>Worm felt something warm and wooden being shoved in its hands.</p><p>“This is Cloth’s ultimate soup, my speciality, renowned in many lands !”</p><p>Worm laughed a little. Truly, this adventurer was a delight to hear. This was one of the nicest things it had ever felt, to be able to laugh ( to laugh and not to feel bad about it). </p><p>“ Then, it will be an honour to taste it .”</p><p>With its functional hand, worm took a spoonful of the apparently famed soup and took it to its mouth. How long had it been since it had not eaten ? It could not remember what the sensation of food was like, or even how to eat properly. Something in this situation told worm that it was about to make a fool of itself very soon.</p><p>Worm clumsily shoved the spoon in its mouth, and was immediately rewarded by a sharp pain. This was hot. Burning hot, it felt like smoke was escaping from its eyes and ears. Yet this was Cloth’s godly preparation, one could not afford to waste it in an unsightly manner, so worm quickly swallowed it, making the pain of the burn go all the way down to its throat and stomach. The sensation was horrible, and he heard Cloth say with a worried tone :</p><p>“Stop : This is not how you’re supposed to eat it ! Have you never had soup in your life ?”</p><p>Worm felt the adventurer giving it a cup of fresh water, which immediately soothed the pain of the burn.</p><p>“ Well, worm answered, not for a very long time” .</p><p>Cloth sighed . “ You’re a very unusual one, aren’t you… Just eat slowly and blow on it if you feel it’s too hot. That’s like … the most basic thing ever !”</p><p>When the pain of the burn was finally gone, worm tried again ( what creature needs several tries to eat soup ?) . Given all the previous shenanigans, the soup had had the time to cool a little. It was now pleasantly warm and exhaled a mouth watering smell.</p><p>Worm took the second spoonful carefully, feeling the scrutinizing glare of Cloth, and sipped it slowly, with intense focus.</p><p>The soup had the perfect temperature, and the taste was… something incredible, this had to be the best thing worm had ever eaten : the strong aroma of mushroom, the salt and spices, the round texture… All this conjured up so many feeling, of being warm, being nourished, of being in a place where one could do simple things like talking or eating soup, like resting around a small fire without thinking about fate, inevitable deaths and curses. </p><p>This was enough to make worm forget about the pain, about the wounds, about everything else. There was a tenderness to this moment, something worm had longed for and yet, had never been able to  grasp, the infinite pleasure of a small tent, the smell of the soup, the smell of the moss, the taste, the feeling of Greenpath, of the plants all around, of life, of the air, not empty any-more, no heavy with tragedies and murders, not hollow, but brimming with sound, with smells, and various impressions, with the simple idea that things were living here with no worries, that things here were beautiful, and above all real, that this was just one place in the world, one place worm could touch, could feel, one place that whispered the song it reserved for those whose lives were free, magnificent and short, whose existence shone bright like lumaflies and was filled with melodies, the song worm had never heard before, song free of fate, song of flame before death, song of soft joys and soft sorrows alike, it whispered :</p><p>“ Come and feel, come and live, because this is but a small part of a great world with many colours, because all these lives are but small lives that will wither with time, leaving way for surprises and change, because you’re part of this world too.”</p><p>Worm was overwhelmed by various emotions, with joy it had never experienced before and with the deepest of sadness, sadness unhinged, not shackeled in resolves or words, in great costs or shining blades, just the beautiful sadness that had to do with very ancient memories, not of worm, nor of king, memories of a young and powerful being who wanted everything with a burning passion, memories of sights greater than any kingdoms, of winds an seas and thunderstorms, of immense, unfathomable creatures making their ways though limitless forests, of the simple feelings of the young Wyrm: rage and desire, joy, freedom, and above all curiosity.<br/>
Was it okay to feel like this ? Was it right, for a being like worm, to feel ? After everything it had done, after all the lives it had destroyed, all the existences it had cursed, was it okay for worm to so strongly, so genuinely love the world ?</p><p>“ Worm, are you okay ?”</p><p>The voice of Cloth was like that too, sincere and free, honest with her feelings, she bear her heart proudly in her voice, like all these beautiful creatures.</p><p>“ Worm, answer me …”</p><p>Worm realised it then, as the flow of feelings began to calm down: streams of big tears were running down its cheeks, falling from its chin in the soup.</p><p>“ Yes… Worm said. No problem, this is just… too delicious, sorry …”<br/>
Worm began to eat quickly, the soup had become more salty, now, it kept eating, completely amazed by the feeling of taste, the feeling of the wood on its hand, the warmth of the bowl, the condensation in the tent. During all this, the tears wouldn’t stop, worm could do nothing about it, and its sleeve was now completely wet. </p><p>With a quivering voice, worm kept repeating quite incoherently “ Thank you Cloth, thank you so much , thank you, this is the best thing I have ever …” ( All this was made hardly understandable by the tears still flowing and the fact that worm was talking with its mouth full ).</p><p>Was it really right for worm, though, to feel such a thing ? The question lingered and could not leave, only adding to the sadness and the tears.<br/>
Even without its foresight, worm had been right about one thing. It had definitely made a fool of itself.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>In her tent, Cloth pondered about the very unusual event of the day. This guy she had rescued seemed awkward and apathetic at first, but now he was crying his eyes out while eating her mediocre soup like it was some divine beverage, all this while mumbling incomprehensible things at her.</p><p>It seemed she had stumbled upon a pretty desperate case.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This is the absolute power of soup and awkward moments !</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Go and be free</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Cloth sets new goals for herself</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>a chapter about Cloth, enjoy !</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Cloth thought about the strange circumstances of  her journey. This was supposed to be a jolly trip brimming with fights, proofs of bravery, the real saga of an adventurer, defeating foes stronger and stronger, and then, she would be so proud of her.<br/>
Cloth was here to show courage, intrepidity, even, to better herself, to be worth her love, to be worth …</p><p>“Nola, how can I be brave and strong like you ? I try my best, but I always end up running away !”</p><p>She had heard many legends about this place, about the magnificence of the kingdom and the powerful being inhabiting it, about grandiose cities and lush gardens, wondrous caves and peaceful lakes. She had heard that this place was full of stories, that many had passed through its maze and crafted inspiring tales with the thread of their lives, and that every wanderer, here, could become some kind of relic.<br/>
“ Wanderers journals ? I’ll give you a good price for it, if it’s still legible of course. AND if, unlike this rude knight from earlier, you swear to me this was not found in a smelly cesspool ! Now show what you have ! This one looks pretty recent. Hardly history material. I’ll give you 200 geo for it.”</p><p>Cloth had began writing her own journal, too. Maybe, later, in many years, the relic seeker would find it and decipher her stories, give it a place in the little memorial of his collection, give her a place between legends. But for it, she had to prove her worth, right, to prove that her death was not in vain.</p><p>“Nola, I want to become an adventurer like you ! I will be a strong warrior, following your path !”</p><p>Things had begun the way she had anticipated, this was truly a place of wonder, haunted by mindless bugs marked with some strange orange infection. There were adventurers like herself, hermits and mysteries, history scattered across the hallways in bits and pieces, fierce fights. (This time, she did not run away, she was strong enough, she would not fail, she would be as brave as the three tiny knights she saw heading towards Deepnest! )</p><p>“And then, we’ll meet each other again and we will have so many stories to tell ! Of fearless battles, of strange journeys !”</p><p>Yet, things had changed, suddenly, the place of wonder she had travelled to was not the same. This happened while she was in the city of tears. Suddenly, a loud clamour echoed to the caves, coming from above, and suddenly, all the infected husks stopped moving. Some dropped dead, other stopped fighting and began looking about, completely disoriented. Then, she heard the explosion, and saw a mass of debris falling from the roof of the city, followed by a huge cascade of water.<br/>
Curiosity rushed through her being, and she ran towards the place of the incident.</p><p>This felt like the beginning of another adventure. Something different, without fights, without the impression of life dangling in the way of prowess, luck and determination, always that close from being struck down, forever extinguished, and yet, this new adventure was equally thrilling. It had something to do with life, time, things she could not comprehend, and other things she had always understood, that had always been part of her body and that should not be put into words.<br/>
Strange things she had never really perceived had been brought to her consciousness by the strange grey bug, by the moments they spent together, by the words, filled with mysteries.</p><p>Worm was broken in more ways than one. Even when he was unable to form a coherent sentence, mumbling words that had no meaning for her, looking at her and seeing someone else, she could tell. The injuries she treated let her see other wounds, older and deeper, some of which seemed methodically inflicted, lining up in a regular succession. (Seeing it had made her sick in the pit of her stomach, it was worst that the blood, worse than the weird angle of his arm).<br/>
She knew nothing and yet she knew that his mind was equally scarred, probably worse than his body.</p><p>And yet, there was something genuine in voice, when he laughed at her antics, when he awkwardly tried to comfort her when she realised she was speaking nonsense, when he corrected himself constantly because, for some obscure reason, he had an aversion for first person pronouns.<br/>
There was also something comforting in the way they tumbled clumsily in words and actions, in the way he guessed unimportant stuff wrong and apologised in stupidly convoluted ways for the tiniest things.</p><p>One time, when he was still unable to walk, he insisted to help making diner (which was supposed to be stuffed bread ) and kept dropping everything on the ground including the dough, as well as mistaking the actual ingredients with the moss on the ground, which resulted in an absolute disaster and a good laugh for her, while he was squirming in utter shame, looking positively devastated about the whole incident.</p><p>Worm also knew a lot of things about Hallownest, about its history, the name of the different places, of the bugs who had lived there long ago, he told her long stories about Unn and Greepath, about the mantises and their fierce warriors, about the great knights, their feats and accomplishment, about the people of Deepnest, the mysterious weavers and their strange magic.<br/>
Now, her own journal was filled with stories of others, of legends from faraway lands, or smaller stories about fun people who had lived there before.<br/>
Now, when she had finished her tasks for the day, if Worm was asleep, she would even write stories of her own, things that she invented, about the places she had seen before, about the places she had seen in dreams. </p><p>He often talked about landscapes he had seen a long time ago, when he was travelling the world. Apparently, he could see, at the time, and by the way he described it, it seemed that these images were forever engraved in his memories, steadfast pictures in detail infinite, forever painted on the canvas of his mind, great sights he could now only share in words.</p><p>Once, he told her about these foreign landscapes (that was during the first week, his mind, at the time was clouded by pain and fever, and though his voice was weak, more often did it open the way for feelings and poetry.)<br/>
This time, he talked about a very far away place, cold and remote lands he had seen in his youth.<br/>
“This land was full of greed, and the beholder has to pay the price to enjoy its beauty. It’s very cold, and the wind rushes in all direction, like a mad beast. It pushed young worm on cliffs and strands, carried it like it would carry a dead leaf …”<br/>
At this moment he stopped, his hand trembling slightly, the tale, for a moment, lost its clarity<br/>
(“dead leaf or shell, you could … just go “) Sometimes he stopped, with long poses, as if his mind had drifted somewhere else, when it came back, it felt small and fragile.</p><p>“This is the place where there is this white thing falling from the sky, like in kingdom’s edge, but it’s not cinders, or dust, its made of frozen water taking the shape of crystals. It’s falling like the tears, you know, the tears int the city but frozen, and it comes from clouds. Back there, it was falling on the sea, the immense sea that was completely black and the little lights of the snowflakes on it were like tiny eyes, most minuscule eyes staring from the darkness and yet they were falling – Cloth, are you still here? – and the tiny eyes could not get back, but. No, this is not the sea after all. So the sea was black and great and there was a coast which was completely white, too, a snowy shore and strange plants – not fully plants, lichens, lichens on the rocks, they had many colors and were splattered on it, forming strange designs, they were the springs, very poisonous, acid. But empty of words, sulfuric acid, that came from volcanos underneath, something very powerful, something strong enough to shape the earth, with lava and great caves, far greater than Hallownest . And the movement of lava would also produce things like this, and other springs with strangest waters, colorful too, incredible colors, and all of it was not the stones, it was alive, all of it was made of tiny creatures that could live in these strange places … Cloth ? You’re here aren’t you ? And all this and the wind ? Cloth ?”</p><p>His stories never had beginnings or endings, in the common meaning of the words, they appeared like strange bits of speech and memories that made sense an instant and then dissolved the next, that dissolved and morphed into something other, something he would never speak about even if she asked. He would often ask about herself, about stories she had already told him, about her life before Hallownest, the things she had seen, the people she had met.</p><p>Thinking about this before, it had never occurred to her that it could be a good story, she admitted that she would often hide, avoid fights, run away, that sometimes she had to find new routes because they were places she was too scared to cross. She could describe them, now, with vivid precision ( The jungle of moss, for instance, was one of her favorite, she delighted in enumerating the strange fruits that were to be found in there, talking about their tastes, how she used a very tall herb to launch a rock at a terrifying monster that lived in the swamp, or how she let red ants to a pitfall by distracting them with the smell of honey.)<br/>
She even talked about Nola, what a fierce warrior she was, and a great friend, of the kind of admiration and love she felt for her, the heroic circumstances of her death ( Back then, Cloth herself was a young Cicada, she was clumsy and afraid of heights, in many ways, she was still a child, and there was nothing she loved more than her bedtime stories about knight and adventures in dangerous lost kingdoms, about dragons, princes and gods, about courage, love and might.)</p><p>She often reminisced these tales, now, the stories that made up so much of her childhood. Sometimes, she would tell them to Worm, when his fever got really bad or when his wounds made him suffer too much.<br/>
She told them in a soft voice, trying to be reassuring, in a way, she told them as if speaking to herself ( During those moments, she wasn’t even sure that Worm could understand it, it was not really about the stories themselves after all, and more about the voice that was a sign that she was still here, that she was real.)</p><p>She made little trips in Greenpaths, searching for food and talking with its mossy dwellers. Most of them were kind and helped her a lot, even giving her some medical supplies and (good god !) real stuffed bread, they liked joking and playing pranks on her, going about their lives as if nothing had happened. In fact, they didn’t even know what had happened, and were not really helpful to understand why this weird orange disease had suddenly disappeared. </p><p>After something like two weeks, when she was pretty sure that Worm’s condition wasn’t critical anymore, she began taking bigger trips, searching for information about the sudden change in the place, going as far as the forgotten crossroads. These small trips (compared to the distances she had crossed before), surprisingly, felt like adventures in their own right. Even if she was not fighting (nor hiding from vicious creatures), there was something captivating about making her way through the kingdom. She liked to bounce around on mushrooms and climb in vines and leaves even if there was a faster way to reach her destination. This too, she used to do, before, when adventures were about being lost in small forests or climbing on roots, when it did not have to be full of danger and fear.</p><p>During those trips, she learned quite a few things: apparently, the queen and her children had returned, with the knight and other important people from the kingdom ( she could recognize most of them from Worm’s stories). They were restoring the cities, making the kingdom a nice place to live in and inviting new people in the city of tears, which was now mostly under repairs.<br/>
According to relic seeker Lemm, who was very critical about the whole situation, they were even adding new pieces to old monuments ( “What are they thinking, these fools, changing old relics as they please ? Is all respect for history lost in this day and age ?”) According to him, they were adding a fourth character to the statue of the dreamers, someone who was the king of this place before, apparently, and that had saved the kingdom from the infection.</p><p>She even saw the three small knights from before, running through the city with some friends, many knights of various shapes and sizes, with fun manners and gleeful demeanor, and yet, uncannily silent.</p><p>When she told Worm about it, he seemed to suddenly ease, as if a tension (a hope or a fear) had disappeared. </p><p>Now, everything around her felt exciting and new, new shops opened ( new cakes to try, new recipes, too ) new people coming over, with various origins and stories, some knights with white armour even agreed to amicably spar with her ( but she quite preferred the long talks afterwards, one of them, Ogrim, he was called, recognizable from very far because of his … heroic smell, seemed to really enjoy her company, and always had something fun to say.)</p><p>She even went to the new shops in Dirtmouth and bought a new map and a piece of armour, as well as a tunic, a cloak and a walking stick for Worm, as it seemed he would soon be able to stand up.</p><p>Meeting these people made her think of all the things she wanted to do, now, and of her journal, which was now full of different stories from travellers and knights alike, the funny and obviously exaggerated stories of Ogrim, the passionate glossing of Lemm about an old key she had found near King’s pass, Worm’s strange stories tinged with sadness.</p><p>She hopped from place to place with curiosity and determination, no loner afraid of things, no longer wishing to play with her life, ( wishing to give her life because the one she loved was gone), she had brought a notebook made of spider silk and had written about her too, in it. It even seemed that some people were interested in her notes, in the adventures she had collected. There was one bug with a blue headband and a cool nail that kept pestering her about her journal, claiming that he wanted to study it to make an academic essay of some sort, in the context of a survey about people’s experience in Hallownest. (She even once saw this same bug, Quirrel, if she remembered well, being chased all over the city by Lemm, shouting “What part of NOT FOR SALE do you not understand !”).</p><p>She was beginning to think of other travels, other places to visit, other adventures to live, of doing more things, trying new experiences, not new fights (was there ever something new about fights?) but new people. Maybe she could find some of the places Worm was talking about, who knows, how she would love seeing the forest with the golden oaks, or the mountains of flowers and dawn …</p><p> </p><p>-	Nola, how can I be brave and strong like you ? I try my best, but I always end up running away !<br/>
-	But my love, you don’t have to. Don’t feel bad about running away, it’s always better than dying with no reason. Do not worry, sweetheart, I’ll always be here to protect you.</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>-	Nola, I want to become an adventurer like you ! I will be a strong warrior, following your path !<br/>
-	What a wonderful idea ! But you have to promise me that you will take care of yourself.</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>-	And then, we’ll meet each other again and we will have so many stories to tell! Of fearless battles, of strange journeys !<br/>
-	I can’t wait! I always loved hearing your stories, you’re so good at telling them. But first, why don’t we go together? I’ve always longed to discover the world with you.</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>-      Nola ... How could I leave you ?</p><p>-	Go, cloth, my dearest, go, see as many places as you can, live as much as one passionate like you can live. When we meet again at the end of the road, I want to hear countless stories for you. Now, go, dear, go and live your life, you have all the time in the world, and always, I will watch over you .</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. voices in the dark</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Worms finally does what he was supposed to do from the very beginning.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>WARNING<br/>This chapter contains depictions of suicidal mindset and some detailed descriptions of bodily harm.<br/>Aaand, this chapter made me realise that Worm  himself should be a warning...</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>« I saw it, the kingdom is really alive now, with all sorts of people coming and going, and there’s a queen too apparently. Ho, and I even saw the three lil’ knight, with all their friends. Some of them are not so little though… And they’re building new things in the city, I never imagined this could happen !” </p><p>Cloth was rambling about the events of the day with enthusiasm and energy, telling worm all the fun things she had done, the interesting people she had met, the bakeries she had visited, apparently, “for the sake of knowledge and further gourmet escapades”, about the nice things she had seen.</p><p>Worm just nodded in agreement, showing its appreciation for Cloth, as it always did. It helped her with the diner, like usual ( now, worm could do simple things like peeling vegetable without inducing a complete disaster, which was a notable progress from the weeks before. His wounds were less painful, too, and even if, according to Cloth, it was not healing very well, worm could now move more freely than it used to.<br/>
Everything, that day, went on like all others, and within a short time, Cloth was already in her sleeping bag, fast asleep and snoring loudly. </p><p>Worm, though, was wide awake. </p><p>So, that was it, it seems. They’re all alive, they’re all safe, now they can live their lives as they want, grow into what they want to be, they can be happy together in this place. This was a good thing, indeed, a very good thing. They had succeeded in their quest, with their courage and determination, the children had saved this lost kingdom and now, everything was well and good. No more corrupted dreams, no more cruel fights, just them and their lives, their freedom, their happiness.</p><p>With all this done, worm had nothing more to do. It had completed its task, now, it could go. As silently as it could, it stood up, very slowly ( this was still painful, this still left worm light headed and everything swirling around him with a loud buzzing sound.)<br/>
Worm tried to grope its way towards the exit of the tent without falling on Cloth, which, in itself, was not an easy feat (Its legs could hardly support the bug, and everything was still spinning endlessly. </p><p>Cloth turned into her sleeping bag, still snoring and mumbling something in her dreams. Worm felt devastated about this. After everything she had done, all the kindness she had shown, it had noting to give in return. Worm did not own anything, wasn’t really anything at all, this bright world was not made for such a thing, nothing but a sinister wraith from a past no one would want to remember anyway. It could do nothing to thank her, it couldn’t even tell thank you, now ( But she would let worm go, right, from the beginning, it had been nothing but a nuisance for her, now she would be free to go wherever she wanted, travel in all the places she wished to discover, she would not have to care for a useless being.) </p><p>Worm felt ungrateful and low, and yet, it just had to go, all this, it did not deserve, now, it knew, now, it could go back to the darkness where it belonged. Yet, there was something painful about all this, and it felt that it shouldn’t say goodbye. At least not if she could hear.<br/>
So worm sat beside Cloth’s sleeping form and whispered his thanks and apologies. The words kept coming, repeating themselves, as worm thought of everything she had done “sorry … thank you … thank you … You have a beautiful voice and a beautiful heart, and you only deserve happiness. Sorry again, thank you, thank you so much… worm will burden you no longer”.</p><p>Worm walked away in silence, very slowly, its feet would lead it to darkness, it felt the call, already. Every step was very painful, every step felt like the last worm could take before falling down and never being able to stand again, putting one foot in front of the other was incredibly difficult, and the dizziness, far from fading away, was steadily growing.<br/>
Yet, worm continued, focusing intently on walking, on not falling, even though it felt like it was breathing fire and that sharp blades were being twisted into its half-healed wounds with every step. It could hardly make sense of its own body, not even the surroundings, and the lights (dream lights, lights coming from his mind, like the lights of the fever) the lights began to appear, announcing more illusions to come. </p><p>Worm slipped on a patch of moss and fell a few feet below, into what seemed to be another tunnel of Greenpath. The sensation of warmth and humidity under its bandages was back, now, and the illusions too, colours, shapes and a shrill sound that never stopped. It stood up again, discovering with incredulity that it could feel even worse. The sounds and colours intensified, taking bright orange hues.</p><p>This was exactly like during the first day, when fever and pain where too much, when worm didn’t even know where it was, or if it was even alive, these strange days filled with fever dreams, and Cloth’s voice in the distance, her very soft voice, and the face of Root had appeared before his eyes, the beautiful root with her white boughs, shining with a soft expression, with the gentle movement of dark silhouettes behind her. </p><p>“ So pitiful a dream ! the voice of radiance snarked, these regrets and this love do not belong to you, worm, nothing belongs to you anymore. This love belongs to the pale king, and he died long ago with my sword in his heart ! All this is not yours, grey worm, not pale, not king, just nothing!”</p><p>Worm made another step, tearing for a second through the illusions, though she reappeared right behind it’s back. </p><p>“ Why did you wait so long, worm, why did you let her save you ? Because you wanted to know, because you were worried about the children, about the people, about the root ? But these worries are not yours, wretched thief, the worries belonged to the pale king, and he died long ago with my blades shoved into his eyes and my flames burning his wings! And these memories and these stories you told her, the poor child, the stories belonged to the Wyrm, and the Wyrm died long ago, leaving its empty body to rot in the abandonned edges of this land ! You are nothing, worm, you are just a thief ! Go back to the darkness where you belong, die now and let this world alone !”</p><p>Worm kept walking, with no sense of directions or even balance, leaning into a wall full of leaves and dew.</p><p>“ I will tell you, worm, why you let her save you when you were supposed to disappear, the illusion continued. You let her because you’re a coward, a cowardly, disgusting rampant woodlouse and you didn’t want to die ! Confess ! Confess that even now you’re afraid, worm !”</p><p>Worm caressed the leaves, desperate to feel them against his hands to feel the cold dew, to feel the spines, it longed from something real, for something of Greenpath, something of the place it was supposed to be in.</p><p>The illusions surrounded worm, laughing hysterically and morphing into horrible sights from its memories, horrid shapes insulting the forms of the ones worm held dear, monsters mocking its very existence, while it was clinging to the branches with despair.</p><p> </p><p>And the worst of it was that it could not stop hearing it, not stop seeing the terrifying forms of nightmares, even as it tried to breathe, it could not stop the panic quickly settling in, the feeling of losing control, of not being able to tell what it was, where it should be, what to think, what to feel. </p><p> </p><p>Worm tightened its grip on the branch and continued forward, forcing itself to breathe the air, to stop shaking so uncontrollably .</p><p> </p><p>“ This is the air of Greenpath, it repeated in its head, this is the wind coming from the caverns below, there will be a precipice, soon, a pit with thorns, and it will be over, a stupid accident, just one of these things that just happens, sometimes, this is just bad luck, a common thing to find in these parts.”</p><p> </p><p>Time passed slowly, agonisingly, as it struggled to advance, to keep on going, and nothing happened. Everything around worm was just a mess of sensations, the urge to vomit, the pain, the sounds and colours that took forms of faces smiling with awful cruelty. Worm continued, trying to retain the idea of its goal, while everything was slipping away, shouting silently “ Walk, walk, don’t stop, don’t”.</p><p> </p><p>Suddenly, a sharp pang went though its legs, with a disgusting smell, and worm fell back, overcome by the pain and all the rest, the nauseating smell of flesh being burned by acid ( How could it forget about the pools of acid that were to be found in this area, stupid, so stupid. It couldn’t move now, couldn’t do anything, just feeling the pain, the utter pain in its body, the pain of failing, even failing to die ( or maybe not, in this case, given worm’s current circumstances).</p><p>This was not just about failing, this was the most pervasive form of powerlessness, of being truly hollow, without purpose, without meaning, and still caring from people and visions that were not its own, witout soul, without self, without …</p><p>Anything at all. </p><p>Nothing.</p><p>And everything now was going away, slowly, silently, as darkness, once again, began to settle.</p><p> </p><p>...</p><p>A loud, panicked voice resounded through the tunnels :<br/>
“ Worm ! What are you doing, in the name of the god of fools ! Are you crazy ?</p><p>Cloth’s words appeared in the haze of worm’s last remnants of consciousness.<br/>
“Sorry, it muttered, for bothering you this long…”</p><p>…</p><p>In one of Greenpaths many tunnels, Cloth was pestering loudly, burning with very rightful anger. The mossy people, impressed by her resolute stance, quickly ran out of her way as she carried a half conscious grey bug to her tent.<br/>
“ What do you even think you’re doing, you stupid stupid moronic idiot ! What is the project, here, exactly, Worm ? Because from my perspective, here and now, it looks like you’re doing everything to actively ruin my efforts ! You … senseless … stupid ! This is it, too late for you ! This is your entire fault, you’ll only have yourself to blame ! Yup, my decision is taken, and it is a firm one, you will not be able to convince me otherwise !</p><p>I’m tying you up in the tent until you grow a fucking braincell ! “</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>WTF Worm</p><p> °_°</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Looma the healer</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Nerd meets nerd, and adventurer meets healer</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hark, fearless reader, you have come a long way if you got to this chapter, and your perseverance will be rewarded ! Now, we are reaching the end of the angsty zone, from now on, this fic will be ( relatively ) safe waters to sail !<br/>See the end of this chapter for your reward !</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>“ One broken column here, too… The degradation is probably due to over-exposition to acidic emanations from this pool just below …”</p><p>Quirrel checked the box on his long list and continued his exploration. Creating a bank of data by hand was a long and arduous task, it demanded patience and precision, with a perfect knowledge of the geography of Hallownest. Quirrel was the perfect bug for the job: patience, he had in store, and he knew every area almost by heart. With the help of maps and a few notes, he could render the entire geography of the land ( except for Deepnest, of course ), so naturally, when the Queen asked for a survey of the state of Hallownest’s infrastructures after its abandonment, Monomon immediately proposed Quirrel for the job, to the scholar’s delight.</p><p>Quirrel’s interests ranged widely, from history, geography and architecture to geology and botanics, and, as he put it in the problematic of his presentation paper, the survey was not only an inventory, it had to define the various effect of the environment on urban design, in order to identify structural risks and possibilities for a more sustainable management of the different areas.</p><p>The scholar loved this project, it had been a long time since he had not been invested in his studies like this. This was very different from wandering, the things he was looking for were not adventurous paths or awesome sights, but the finest details, the inner workings of the place. The complexity of it, the intricacy of the geomorphology, the variety of the forms a phenomenon could take was an endless source of wonder, a feeling that he cherished deeply, now that he had felt what it would be to lose it, how empty his existence could become.</p><p>He added some notes on the installation and continued towards the stag stations. Greenpath appeared to be one of the more complex area for this survey: the richness of the ecosystem and the presence of acid were a critical source of chemical erosion, which made the terrain unstable and prone to change. It seemed, in a whole, that vast, overarching structures had been quite well preserved, but that smaller pieces of equipment were already very worn down. Quirrel collected some samples of rock on the different installations, which would be useful for lab studies after field work. He needed it to test one of his hypotheses, which was that the type stone chosen for construction was an important factor in the preservation of buildings within the environment of Greepath. Crystalline stones from Crystal Peak seemed to be a great match for this area, as its structure was very resistant to chemical abrasion. On the contrary, stones from the Howling cliffs and the surroundings of Dirtmouth had been a poor choice, when it was used by the architect: This was a kind of dark limestone, and though it was a lot easier to work with for construction workers, compared to the stones in Crystal Peak, its sustainability was cruelly lacking.</p><p>Quirrel quickly added new lines to his notes ( “Possible inquiry about the social impact of the use of crystalline stones instead of limestones for construction, ask head miner and construction site.”)</p><p>This was the true delight of the scholar’s work: new hypotheses brought many possibilities, and with each answer came a new question, a new perspective. Actually, the bug thought, this whole study could probably become his masterpiece, a great interdisciplinary work, providing a multifaceted and thorough understanding of Hallownest as a whole… This perspective was incredibly exciting.</p><p>Still engrossed in his thoughts, Quirrel did not notice the tall bug harvesting petals just in front of him, and bumped into her, making both papers and harvest fall on the mossy ground.</p><p> </p><p>“ Sorry ! he said, I didn’t see you ! Here, let me help you !”</p><p>“ Don’t be sorry, here, take you notes, first, they will be ruined if they absorb humidity !”</p><p>The bug had a blueish body and a dark pink carapace, as well as a long neck and long antennae. She continued, with a merry tone:</p><p>- It seems we were both too engrossed in our work to notice that we were not alone! What is your name, friend, and what are you doing here with all this scholarly material?</p><p>Quirrel laughed at the lucky word choice and aswered:</p><p>- My name is Quirrel, I’m studying the place for a survey I’m making. I work for the teacher’s archives. What about you ? Are you a botanist ?</p><p>- Not really, no. My name is Looma, and my trade is medicine. I come from beyond the wastelands, as I heard there were many people to be found in here that might need my services. Imagine my surprise when I found this place full of greenery, with such a diverse flora. This was the perfect area for me to settle in, as they are so many species I use in my remedies.</p><p>- I see ! It is a pleasure to meet you, then. May I ask where you decided to stay ? I case I need a sleeping potion ?</p><p>- Of course, friend, of course : I live in the den of the blue roots, just below the stag station. You will find it quite easy to find, I assure.</p><p>Looma then turned away and resumed her activity, why humming a foreign tune. Even if he knew they both had a lot to do, Quirrel could not resist the urge to talk a little more with the nice foreigner, and asked:</p><p>- What is this flower you’re harvesting ? I know some of the plants in here, but Greenpath is so rich I can’t remember all their names …</p><p>- This is a Silver Star, Looma answered, well, at least, this is how we call it from where I come. It’s quite common in humid areas such as this one. Sometimes they’re also called Marsh Eyes, or White Crowns.</p><p>Quirrel nodded in agreement. Visibly, Looma was very knowledgeable about botanic, and even cared to remember the different names for a same species. ( Quirrel had read about it somewhere in the archive, though he couldn’t tell precisely in which book : Travelling healers often had to know a lot of different names for the same plant to be able to get it easily, no matter the place they travelled in, and that it could be a very tricky subject, because sometimes, two different plants had the same name in different settlements, and this could lead to dangerous confusions, if the doctor was not careful.)</p><p>- What do you use them for ? He asked.</p><p>- These ones have various use, you can add them in ointments for wounds or potions. They have the property to restore energy and soul. Even if their active substances are not very strong, their lack of side effects and the fact that they’re relatively easy to find make them one of my favourites.</p><p>Quirrel looked around him and pointed at another plant he didn’t recognise : it had a long reddish stem with a cluster of sleek purple flowers.</p><p>- What about this one ? He asked.</p><p>- I see you have a keen eye, Looma laughed. But it doesn’t surprise me that it caught your attention, it’s a very peculiar one, after all. This one is called “ Maiden’s Tongue”, though if you go to the region of Pharloom, they go by the name of “ Dead Bug’s Fingers”.</p><p>- A very ominous name …</p><p>- Ominous, yes, and largely justified. This one is a deadly poison, it will make your blood flow become too thick and you heart will stop, if you eat its root. However, if it’s prepared carefully and mixed with various ingredients, it’s a very efficient pain killer.</p><p>- I see . Poisons and remedies are two sides of the same coin, after all.</p><p>- The plants have many powers, but none of them is good or bad per say. It only depends on how you use them.</p><p>- I see, I see. Thank you, Looma! I have to go, now, or I will be late on my schedule, but do you mind if I come to see you again some time? There are a few plants I’d like to ask you about …</p><p>- Of course, it would be a delight ! Stay safe, and hopefully, see you soon !</p><p>Quirrel continued in the tunnels, he was already in a good mood, and this encounter had made his day. He quickly got to the next building on his list and resumed his observations. It would not, last long, though, as another bug approached him resolutely.</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>Cloth frowned in a mixture of worry and irritation. It had been almost a week, now, since Worm’s disastrous escapade, and things were starting to get concerning. Cloth was no doctor, far from it, but she was good at tending to wounds, she had done it countless times on her friends and on other travellers, and things had always worked out the way she intended. She had often been praised for that skill, actually, she was quite good with her hands and ugly wounds did not frighten her.</p><p>It was true that from the start, Worm’s injuries had been pretty serious, and that his behaviour had not really been helpful for his recovery at all ( Because of this last bit, in fact, she was quite positive that she should have the right to scold him to the ends of times), but this did not explain everything.</p><p>It had been a fact for quite a few days, now, that Worm’s wounds were not healing properly. It was quite obvious that his broken arm was far from being healed, and even if his larger wound seemed to recover slowly, it stayed weak and prone to reopening. ( And of course the absolute moron somehow thought it was a good idea to step into acid, and now he had ugly burns all over is legs.)</p><p>And of course, Worm kept doing things that didn’t help the situation. Just yesterday, for instance, using the fact that he could now stand up and make a few steps with the walking stick as a pretext, he began arguing that he was perfectly well, now, and that she could continue her journey without him.</p><p>- There’s no problem, at all, look, perfectly fine, now, you can go to your adventure, to … to this blue jungle you were so excited about, for instance…</p><p>- Don’t try to fool me, Worm, I know that you can’t even walk ten feet with this stick.</p><p>- But surely-</p><p>- No but! When I begin something, I make sure to do it completely! I did not make all these efforts so you could just die the second I’m away!</p><p>- But …</p><p>- I said no buts!</p><p>Due to those circumstances, Cloth had decided to find a professional healer, she needed one to make progress, and she could feel more than ever that she could not deal with this situation alone much longer. Even if it seemed fun and interesting at first, these things had begun to weight of her more than they should, and the help of an outsider was something she really needed right now.</p><p>(“ You don’t have to do everything alone, you know, when you resume your journey, you can find another wanderer, this kind of people isn’t difficult to find around here. I know you’re very strong, you’ve done a lot of great things and you’re a great person all in all, but also, it you feel tired it’s fine, it’s fine if you’re lost too. You don’t have to be strong and brave all the time, no one should have to.” True, Worm could say wise things from time to time, a shame he was completely unable to apply his reasonings to himself.)</p><p>As she walked, she thought about many things (would one of the small knights want to go on a journey with her ? They seemed very competent and were so fun to be with …). She thought of her situation. It was quite clear now that Worm didn’t want to be saved – or didn’t think he deserved to be saved, for some obscure reason. Maybe that was why he didn’t heal well. The scholar who kept lurking at her journal in the city of tears could find this case interesting, he seemed to like metaphysics, maybe he would make some long and convoluted discourse about the probabilities of physical links between body and spirit … Cloth did not like to ponder about this kind of thing. These overly abstract and philosophical question gave her headaches.</p><p>Then, suddenly, she realised : by some unlikely coincidence, the annoying scholar from the city of tears was right in front of her, scribbling something in a fat notebook.</p><p> </p><p>Cloth walked resolutely towards Quirrel, who almost dropped his notes when he realised that she was here.</p><p>- Wow! You surprised me! My, the population of Greenpath is increasing exponentially, this is the first time I run into so many people in this place!</p><p>- Good day, scholar ! What are you doing here ?</p><p>- Ho, sorry, I forgot to say. I’m not polite, I mean, good day, Cloth the adventurer, how are you doing ?</p><p>- I’m doing good.</p><p>- Have you changed you mind about your journal ?</p><p>- No, I haven’t ! And you didn’t answer my question.</p><p>- Oh, I’m just here for my research. What about you ?</p><p>- I’m looking for a professional healer.</p><p>- You look well, though.</p><p>- Not for me, of course ! I never needed a doctor in my whole life !</p><p>- Mmm, impressive. And, if you’re looking fir a healer, go to the den of the blue roots, just below the stag station, I met a healer who said she was settling here.</p><p>She looked at him, pleasantly surprised.</p><p>- Oh, thank you ! I thought you were just a nerd, but in fact you’re very helpful. I might even lend you some pages of my journal !</p><p>- You will ?</p><p>- Not yet, but I will. Now, I’m going to see this healer you’re talking about. This is my new quest, so don’t ask about it !</p><p>Cloth rushed energetically through the bushes and disappeared from Quirrel’s sight.</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>- We’re going to see a famous healer ! Cloth announced triumphantly.</p><p>Worm lifted its head, a little taken aback by the news. It made sense, though, Cloth probably wanted to go, and she was right, it was unfair for her to have to bear with worm all this time. It stood up slowly ( now, even if it hurt a little, it wasn’t like the world was spinning in all direction when worm stood on its feet, which made things a lot easier.) It answered:</p><p>- All right, let’s go</p><p>- I’m carrying you, though, or it will take forever.</p><p>- Is it possible to walk a little… in the parts where the path is normal ?</p><p>- Yes, you can, but just a little.</p><p>Thus they began their route. Walking like this, even for a few steps, felt unrealistic, it was something worm had never experienced before. Even in the memories it held, the memories of the Wyrm, the memories of the king, movement was taken for granted, it was made of flight, fast paced fights, of speed and sharp twists and turns. During their whole life, these beings had moved like it was nothing, without thinking twice about it, without really paying attention. How strange that now, for worm, walking felt like something unknown and wonderful. Even if it hurt, even it its limbs were sore, worm could not deny the fascination for this simple act. The soil under its feet, the soil under the stick, it always felt a little different, sometimes moss, sometimes humus, sometimes hard rock or a piece of shell, sometimes something else, wood or leaf, sometime, a small pool of fresh water. It seemed like each step had its own sound and its own smell, the smell of plants or earth, of water and rocks. Cloth’s steps were bouncing and hardy, they sent sound through the air and vibrations trough the ground, they connected her movement to worms senses in a precise and yet uncannily new way.</p><p>They were other vibrations too, that felt like another kind of sound, coming from below, from other things moving and living, from acid boiling and roots making their way through cracked rocks, still elusive and hard to decipher, but here, nonetheless… When its feet touched the ground, worm’s senses seemed to reach far away beyond this particular tunnel, to grasp the many activities that simmered everywhere around.</p><p>Was it all like this, in the pale beings’ memories, were they just not paying attention?</p><p>As they approached their destination, worm asked :</p><p>- How did you know there was a healer in here ?</p><p>- The scholar from the city of tears told me. Quirrel, I think he’s called.</p><p>Quirrel. Monomon’s assistant, he appeared from time to time in the pale being’s memories, he was always seen from afar, deemed unimportant, maybe, still looking intently at his notes, or at a specific detail in a plant or in the architecture.</p><p>Had the king been looking at all this, before? The king claimed that he loved this place (and he must have loved it truly, how else could worm explain its very existence). And yet, most memories were about the palace, bout the workshop, about the abyss. The images of Greenpath, for instance, were so so few, so unclear… (Love prevented? Knowledge directed towards pain and despair?).</p><p>Worm touched the many plants growing on the wall, the shapes of the leaves felt so diverse, some thin and sharp like blades of grass, other were round and succulent, other (flowers, maybe) had symmetrical shapes, and these shapes were as different from one another as the texture, from the harsh and sinuous bark of the roots to the strange, haity leaves of some other that were hanging from the ceiling …</p><p>“Can you stop touching the vines when I’m carrying you, Worm? Now all the dew is pouring on us!”</p><p>And as they walked, worm searched intently in his mind, for the shapes and the name of these plants, for their image the King should have kept somewhere in his memories, like a treasure of some sort. They had to we there, didn't they, the Wyrm had so often claimed it was full of curiosity and hunger for new things, and indeed, they were images, but none of them seemed to be specific to Greepath. And the names… the names too, the names were rare and changing, they resembled roaring sounds or songs from birds, not the name of things, but the simple feeling of seeing them.</p><p>( This was when worm realised, all the images were coming from the Wyrm, not from the king, the Wyrm had desired all these things, it had taken them in as something precious, something it would never discard, it had ravenously gorged itself of all the images it could find, filling its mind with the world it had loved so much, but the king … the images from the king’s memory were all blurry and tainted with despair, even  the first pictures, of building, of creating, they were all tinged with regret. Forever, now, they had been stripped of their wonder, they had become cold.)</p><p> </p><p>How strange that the sensations brought by worm’s cursed existence were so different from the sad sights of the king, and so similar to the hopeful and naïve wonders of the Wyrm.</p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>Worm felt Cloth stopping and helping it to the ground.</p><p>“ Seems we’re here”, she said. They made e few steps forward, and she continued :</p><p>- Hey, you, the bug up there, what is your name ?</p><p>- My name’s Looma, funny one.</p><p>- Are you the famed healer of these parts ?</p><p>- Famed, I do not know, but healer, I definitely am. Come, my friends, come. It looks like you have a lot of interesting things to tell me !</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hope you enjoyed the reward !</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. of empty grave and shining boughs</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The white lady had always lived on. This does not change.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is mostly a character study.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The White Lady sat on the balcony of the white palace, admiring the reborn kingdom, brimming with projects and new activities. Behind her, Dryya was receiving reports about the reconstruction from diverse workers and officials. Apparently, a lot of foreigners had arrived in Hallownest lately, attracted, surely, by the perspective of new opportunities in a place that had to be rebuilt.</p><p>The White Lady smiled, taking in the joyous air of this time, so unlike the air of Hallownest during the infection, which was heavy and still, imbued with grave thoughts and broken dreams, now the air was young and new, it was fizzling and fresh all around her, from every part of the kingdom, it sang of a bright future. Her heart seemed to swell with melancholy, and she sighed deeply, she felt content. How the happiness of these days was tinged blue with sadness, the bright sadness that brought smiles and tears alike, the sweet sadness of loss and memories, the pure, unabashed sadness of the heart, so deeply genuine, the beautiful sadness of childish poems and little songs, that was best expressed with the simplest words. </p><p>“ I’ll think of you when you are gone away,<br/>
Flowers are blue and I will be okay<br/>
I’ll think of you a little every day,<br/>
And continue going along my way”</p><p>Hallow had written this small poem for her, shortly after they left the kingdom, it was badly written and clumsy and yet, it had moved her so, it still did. </p><p>The White Lady had always lived with the flow of time and events, lived the silent life of plants, the long and tranquil life of the tree, she had bent in the way of the winds, she had followed the shapes of the rocks, the shape of the river, she had formed her roots in the ways of the land, in the way of the soil she embraced while it tightly embraced her. She did not feel the intense emotions like bugs did, their anger, their desperation, their joy, her feelings where dancing slowly in her sap, everlasting and subdued, in the ways scar and wounds were for trees, deeply absorbed under bark and wood, never so strong yet never forgotten, always here, invisible for the outsider’s eyes, as the everlasting shape of her heart. Her sadness too had become a part of her being, a part of every other emotion, a part of her softness, a part of her love. She was made that way from the beginning, like the ancient tree, like the root, she cradled every memory with equal love and care, joy and sorrow alike, forever in the bottom of her heart.</p><p>Little did she need the reminder of the Wyrm Mind charm, little did she need the fountain to feel the way she did. These things, all in all, were comforting, the pure white light was still shining ( how different, yet, from its previous form, the light from the charm was calm and unshaken, made of stillness and certainty, this was nothing like this light she had felt the first time, the savage and desperate light dancing in the tempest with cries of glory, fear and life ). </p><p>-	Your majesty … Dryya said in a shy voice.<br/>
-	Yes, Dryya, my dear, what is it ?<br/>
-	It’s about the king’s grave. Do you mind ?<br/>
-	No, Dryya, not at all.<br/>
-	The workers who dealt with the ruins of the temple of the Black Egg came today. They say they couldn’t find the king’s remains. They ask if they should proceed with the grave even if there’s no corpse.</p><p>The Root let herself think for a few second. For a normal being, for a bug, this could have been a sign of hope, “ alive, perhaps”, they would have thought, but this could not be the case for a higher being. Except for the dead light of the Mind Charm, there was no trace of another being like herself. No trace of the light of her Wyrm, it had vanished, never to be felt again. No, the cruelty of hopes had no grip on her.</p><p>-	Tell them to complete it anyway.<br/>
-	As you wish, your Majesty.</p><p>Dryya walked away slowly, hesitating before leaving for the day.</p><p>-	Are you alright, dear Dryya ? It seems something is bothering you. You know you can tell me, I’ll always do everything I can for your sake, you know.</p><p>Dryya turned back, full of this lovely timidity the root found so endearing.</p><p>-	Your Majesty … You said that you’re moving on, I know, but … Even when you smile, it always feel sad. I want to help you .<br/>
-	Dear Dryya, do not worry so . Sure, I will always be a little sad about what has happened, but you know, sadness is not always a bad thing. I know it will never fade, and I don’t want it to fade either. This is a testimony of a love I had, and now I have many other loves, my love for the children, my love for you.</p><p>With one of her branches, she slowly caressed Dryya’s cheek. </p><p>-	This is really how you feel ?<br/>
-	Yes, dear, it is. I know you feel upset about the situation. But it’s alright, you know, come here.</p><p>She took the knight in her arms, surrounding her with the softness of the root. Feeling Dryya’s heartbeat was soothing and nostalgic, it brought the lady to gardens planted in her core, the lush and undying gardens of loves present and loves past. To the sound of imaginary sources, she whispered a soft melody.</p><p>This was in the nature of the root, while she always embraced the things that came to her, things she had, things she loved, she could let go as easily as she could take in. Love and memories preserved, cherished forever, bright and free of regret, nevermore was not a word she refused to hear. Nevermore was another word of the way she had always followed, nevermore was another word in her dear world’s story.</p><p> </p><p>They had always been opposites, in this sense, her soft light, being embraced and embracing, with the flow of water and earth, beacon of love and eternal witness of things … and his fierce light fighting against the wind.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>...</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sorry for this short chapter !<br/>It felt right to end it like this, I think it would have been weird If I added another part after that. Because of tone shifts and all...</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Just a little mystery</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ghost and Hallow connect the dots together.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>In a deserted corner of the city of tears, a tall figure was advancing. Slowly, gracefully, her light appearing dimly through her long gray cloak, she paced with delicate steps over the few leftover rubble. Behind her, equally silent, jumping from stone to stone with light agility, a small shadow was making its way in the darkness. The tall figure approached the center of the dismal place, where the ground was cracked and full of dust, and stopped abruptly, while her cloak made a graceful movement. Behind her, the little shadow approached cautiously, hiding playfully behind columns. <br/>The tall figure chuckled a little, and turned slowly towards the shadow, revealing her face and her beautiful eyes, deep and blue, and simmering, like northern lakes or early dawn.</p>
<p>“Come, Ghost, I know you’re here”</p>
<p>The little one advanced, taking off the funny hood they had put over their white head to avoid being noticed.</p>
<p>“ You shouldn’t be up so late, dear child. Now is the time for you to rest.”</p>
<p>The small shadow came closer and hugged tightly one of her smaller branches. She lifted them lovingly in her arms, a smile in her eyes.</p>
<p>“ Are you afraid of the dark, Ghost ?”</p>
<p>The young one nodded. Though they had had the courage to follow their mother in this dark part of the city of tears, no, they noticed the strange shapes of shadows in the flickering light. </p>
<p>The root embraced her child lovingly, still looking around her, still thinking.</p>
<p>(“The workers who dealt with the ruins of the temple of the Black Egg came today. They say they couldn’t find the king’s remains”, Dryya said, in her voice, at the time, there was a tinge of worry, a tinge of hope, a tinge of fear. )</p>
<p>- Why did you come here?  Ghost signed, with a look of curiosity. </p>
<p>Why, indeed, why had she felt compelled to visit this place when there was nothing to find, nothing to hope, why, when she could not see the light? </p>
<p>-	I don’t really know myself, she said. I just suddenly felt like coming here. I thought that if I didn’t, I couldn’t sleep for the night.</p>
<p>(Maybe there was more to it, though, she thought as she said these words. The root had no eyes to see in times to come or times past, but she was deeply intertwined with the present, she sometimes had feelings about things happening far away, things existing outside of her mind’s grasp, deeply covered in the strange lenses of thoughts and intuitions, small hints, desires, perhaps.)</p>
<p>-	Is this about father’s grave? Ghost asked bluntly.</p>
<p>She laughed, always amused by her child’s brash demeanor.</p>
<p>-	Maybe you’re right, ghost, maybe it is.</p>
<p>( No, the root was not a creature of illusions of fake dreams built by hopes, she was a watcher of life and death, a being turned towards birth, love, and things, she could never be taken away by the chimeras of mind. The root was a mother, in all her essence, taking in and letting go, and yet-)</p>
<p>-	We should go back, dear child. I will take you to your siblings. This was foolish of me to come here, and I think you are tired too.</p>
<p>Carrying her child, she walked towards the white palace, her mind being put at ease by the calm sights of the kingdom. </p>
<p>As she went, Ghost quickly spotted something in the half-destroyed room, just before it was engulfed in darkness. On the floor, there was a brown piece of fabric with traces of greyish blood.</p>
<p>...</p>
<p>How lovingly the root guided them back to their room, how carefully her voice lulled them to sleep, at times like this, Ghost felt their love for their mother step forth and embrace their heart with warmth, which was, at the time, much needed.<br/>…</p>
<p>This usually happened during those moments, when everything was calm and it was time to sleep, when they were surrounded by silence and the breathing of their sleeping siblings. Ghost tried to lure themselves towards sleep, towards dreams, but more often than not, they couldn’t stop thinking about it. Their fight, their quest, the mysteries still unresolved, the pain in the memories they had witnessed. </p>
<p>They knew it was also the case for hallow, seeing them staring at nothing at times, seeing them tilt their head quizzically in front of the grave, or caressing flowers absentmindedly in the garden.</p>
<p>This was not painful, per say, these memories had the bright colours of adventure and the shining colours of duty, they were about their hearts racing and fire flowing through their veins, about their bond with their siblings, the feats of exploration, the feats of remembering. These memories were now part of who they were, something they could be proud of, something that could give them strength and bravery. Yet, there was something unresolved about them, the tension of an unended story, the idea that something, something subtle but very obvious at the same time, had been missing to complete the puzzle, to let it gain its full meaning. There was also another thing, a selfish, unimportant thing, perhaps, but that seemed to shape Ghost’s world as the memories did. These were the times of uncertainty and fun escapades, of unravelling mysteries and discovering new people and new places, and now, how they longed for such an adventure. Their life, now, was far from boring, they learned, they played with their siblings, they visited the city, but still it lacked something, it lacked the thrill of not knowing what was going to happen next, the possibility of combats, the way paved with ancient symbols of truths still hidden. </p>
<p>And there was still this thing left unresolved, the undying spark of curiosity and longing they could not extinguish, no matter how much time passed.</p>
<p>This something could easily be obscured by the heart, by fear of hope, by fear of discovering something sad or something horrible, by the feeling that maybe, even if it was strange, even if it was unsatisfying, things should be left as they were. But this would be forgetting that in Ghost’s mindset, abandoning was not an option. From the very start, they had thrived of determination and goals, and this was not about to stop. </p>
<p>This was the way of this unfinished path ( A path left unexplored ! For Ghost, this sounded like a heresy!). The direction they should take, after all, was very obvious. This was about the ruins of the Black Egg, about the strange figure in the dreamer’s realm, about the way their father’s horns broke under Hornet’s needle, about the piece of bloody fabric, about the empty grave.</p>
<p>Hallow was staring at them, now, from the corner of the room.</p>
<p>*sibling, are you thinking about it too ?*</p>
<p>*About what ?*</p>
<p>*About the charms and the grey person in the dreamer's realm*</p>
<p>Ghost walked silently towards their sibling.</p>
<p>*yes*</p>
<p>*Mother says he’s dead because there’s no more light, just the light from the charm, but, do you think that, too …*</p>
<p>* I think I do. About the charm. It seems sensible.*</p>
<p>*Yes. If he put his light in the charm, I though that maybe, just, he doesn’t have the light anymore. But he could be alive and not have the light, right ? And this leads me to …*</p>
<p>*Worm.*</p>
<p>*Worm looked like father after Hornet broke his crown, but it didn’t feel like it was him, because -*</p>
<p>* Because there was no light.*</p>
<p>*Exactly.*</p>
<p>* In the place where the temple of the Black Egg had collapsed, there was something.*</p>
<p>* What was it ?*</p>
<p>* Piece of cloth, bloodstained, but old. So maybe …*</p>
<p>* Yes *</p>
<p>* Maybe he’s somewhere out here. This Worm guy.*</p>
<p>The siblings looked at each-other, with a mixture of apprehension and excitement. Hallow scratched their heads and looked all around them, checking if another sibling could be awake.</p>
<p>*Do you think that we could …*</p>
<p>*Yes*</p>
<p>*We could, we could definitely, but …*</p>
<p>* But ?*</p>
<p>* Do you think that he’s father ? Worm… He felt so different, maybe …*</p>
<p>* I don’t know. Maybe it’s him, maybe he’s different. We’ll have to look for him if we want to find out.*</p>
<p>* But if he’s not …*</p>
<p>* Don’t worry, I’m sure it will work out in the end.*</p>
<p>* So … We look for Worm ?*</p>
<p>* Yes !*</p>
<p>The siblings wiggled silently, both very excited by this new adventure. Hallow stopped suddenly, as if stricken by a thought.</p>
<p>*But how do we do that ?*</p>
<p>* Well, we go back to the temple’s ruin and we find clues. And then we follow the clues !*</p>
<p>* It’s an investigation !*</p>
<p>* Exactly, like in the stories of this famous stick bug, Phasmid Holmes !*</p>
<p>The siblings chuckled and went back to their bed. Though they hardly managed sleep this night, as they couldn’t stop thinking about their adventure.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>...</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Ghost the great detective is born ! Beware of their overwhelming deductive power.</p>
<p>( I imagine Ghost's personality being based on the player, a lore addict completionist who continues exploring even if they already have 112 % )</p>
<p>Phasmid Holmes . This sounds incredibly silly.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. of hot springs, hypotheses and pebbles</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which the therapeutic powers of silly experiments is demonstrated.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Worm wondered at the exotic smells that filled the healer's tent. These were the smell of dried herbs and potions, of special waters, of the oven, the different scents passed around it in strange successions. There was something overwhelming about the place, the signs of things that were foreign and new, another strange domain none of worm’s past selves had explored.</p><p>“ So, what do we have here ? It seems you already have done most of the job …”</p><p>The healer had an agreeable voice, with a strange sing-song accent.</p><p>“ But first, what happened to you, little one ? You somehow ended up in a bad situation, it appears.”</p><p>Worm turned to its side, to see the answer of- wait. The healer was talking to worm, and no other. ( “little one", these words conveyed images of playful shadows and deep pain ).</p><p>“ Just was at the wrong time in the wrong place, a tunnel that collapsed, when walking through it.”</p><p>“ Yup, Cloth continued, I was passing by when I heard the sound of it, so I came and he was there so I saved him. My name is Cloth, by the way, I am an adventurer traversing those lands. And this is Worm.</p><p>“ A strange name… Very strange indeed, and equally amusing that both your names are names of things…”</p><p>Worm tensed up, feeling the healer leaning closer, and suddenly, something was touching its right arm. It jumped back in a panicked move, almost wincing at the sudden pain this had brought up.</p><p>“ Worm ! Don’t freak out like that, you’re being rude !”</p><p>“ No, it’s okay, ( that was the voice of the Looma the healer ), don’t worry about it, I didn’t mean to startle you."</p><p>It had hardly been two minutes since they met the healer, and worm had already managed to put itself in an embarrassing situation. This had to be expected, though, even its previous selves hated being touched by strangers, all the more when it was sudden and they couldn’t see it coming. This was like this one time when another flying being ( though worm couldn’t tell what it was), had brushed inadvertently the tail of the Wyrm, and it had turned in rage and eaten it in one bite, as a reflex of sort, before continuing its way.</p><p>“ Sorry, that was just startling … but, healer, if you do that again, could you just tell beforehand, if it’s okay for you ?”</p><p>“ Sure, no problem. But I’ll still have to examine you, I’m afraid.”</p><p>Looma stopped talking for a few second, the sounds of her steps said that she was going around, for some reason, which meant that she should now be between worm and the entrance of the tent. ( She’s a healer, her trade is the opposite of hurting, she probably doesn’t even own a sword, so no flight nor fight, no blades, here, no lights, so keep this stick were it is, no stupid instincts, please !)</p><p>“ Cloth, is that it ? Are you the one who did these bandages ?”</p><p>“ Yes, it is”, Cloth answered, her voice was full of apprehension.</p><p>“ This is very good work, very clean. You can be proud of yourself. In fact, you might not even need me.”</p><p>“ Thank you very much !” ( Cloth sounded elated, apparently, the compliment went straight to her heart.)</p><p>“ But I still need you, she continued. See, it’s been quite some time, now, and his wounds are not healing well, in the late few days, it hasn’t even made the slightest progress.”</p><p>Looma hummed in a low voice, and then, it sounded like she was searching for something in a large collection of items. The sounds were a little too loud, this, added to the many smells and Looma’s very presence made worm feel a little dizzy.</p><p>“ I’m not sure about it, but this is the first idea I come up with, now, so let me check.” ( The healer sounded excited, now, as if she was faced with a mystery that had been on her mind for a long time, but that she had never been able to encounter directly.)</p><p>“ Now, can you show me your hand ? Okay, now, just hold this stone a little, please.”</p><p>The stone felt soft, but there were also engravings in it, and it emitted some kind of heat, subtle and comforting. Focusing on the details of the stone’s texture made the dizziness fade a little.</p><p>“ As I suspected !” Looma exclaimed victoriously .</p><p>“ What is it ? And what does it have to do with this … contraption ?”</p><p>“ Are you excited about it, Cloth ? ( Looma was now louder and more energetic than before) Then let me tell you ! This “contraption”, as you put it, is a device that helps me perceive soul. Maybe you’ve never heard of it, but soul is a kind of essence that can be found inside every bug, I don’t really know what it  is, but this has the effect of some kind of life force. I heard some powerful individuals can even manipulate it to cast magic, though I have never seen any of them myself .”</p><p>“ What does it have to do with the situation, though ?”</p><p>“ Well you see, soul is important to heal and give strength to the body, so, after receiving wounds, one has to eat a lot to reconstitute energy and soul. So, to sum up, soul is very important for the body, and if I trust my artifact, you friend here is clearly lacking in this domain.”</p><p>“ So worm has no soul ?” it asked, a little to softly perhaps. ( How perfectly ironic it would be, and how telling of worm’s condition, of it’s only possible fate, how it claimed high and clearly in its mind that it was bound to death, bound to the deep, the being with no power, no light, no soul, no one, nothing, even standing here breathing was in fact an act of rebellion. As soon as possible, it should-)</p><p>The train of though was briskly interrupted by Looma’s laugh.</p><p>“ Don’t be so pessimistic, small one, only dead bugs have no soul ! There is soul, here, but very little, and apparently, it keeps leaking out, so that’s why it doesn’t reconstitute over time. Can’t say why it is, though.”</p><p>“ So, can you do something about it ?” Cloth asked.</p><p>“ About the problem in itself, I don’t think so. About the wounds, though I can. But you have to know that if you get hurt again, you’ll always face this same problem, so you should be very careful from now.”</p><p>At these words, worm felt Cloth’s glare drilling through it back.</p><p>“ So what will you do?” Cloth asked again.</p><p>Looma laughed ( her laugh made Cloth laugh a little too. Maybe it was communicative. Who knows.)</p><p>“ I fear you won’t find my method very subtle. I’ll just use hot springs water and potions to artificially boost your soul level for the time you need to heal properly, and that’s all.”</p><p>“ Will we go to a hot spring ?” Cloth asked enthusiastically</p><p>Looma chuckled again.</p><p>“ Prepare to be blown away by Looma’s incredible competence, adventurer ! Behold ! This is not a simple tent ! This, in fact, is the entrance of my shop and my home, and in the bottom of my little castle, guess what you’ll find !”</p><p>“ A hot spring !” Cloth exclaimed, now completely enthralled by the whole situation. It seemed that her and Looma had the potential to get along very well.</p><p>“ Indeed !” Looma announced, bombastically.</p><p>“ Now follow me and be careful, there’s quite a lot of space between the bars on the ladder, so it might be a difficult to climb for those on the smaller side.”</p><p>They made their way through the narrow space of the underground house, in places where the ground was soft and covered with dry moss and emitted a subtle warmth. The smells varied from place to place, mixing the sensations of plants and minerals with subtlety. Cloth helped worm through the vertical passages between the rooms, feeling the steam of the spring getting closer and more distinct.</p><p>“ Here we are !” Looma announced.</p><p>“This hot spring is quite small compared to the others, but it's perfectly fit for the use I make of it. Now, worm, get in ! And you’re not allowed out until I say you can”</p><p>Then, the ground was not under worm’s feet, as it suddenly felt itself being put in the water, with cloak and stick, and rather unceremoniously by Cloth, as she said :</p><p>“ Yes, do not get out ! And know that to come here, one has to use a ladder, so do not even hope to wander away while I’m not looking !”</p><p>The sound of Cloth and Looma’s footstep then felt more distant, their voices still clearly audible, yet mixed with the bubbling sound of the hot spring, with the earthy smell it emitted, and with…</p><p>The effect of the springs healing properties caught worm unprepared. The sensation was so strange, incredibly soothing, the pain fading away almost completely, and the body ( The body that had been a tool of punishment, the bearer of pain, the bearer of wounds, the bearer of scars, the thing that for so long been the implicit testimony of worm’s right to breathe, of his heart’s right to beat a little longer ) The body felt seemingly free of its pains, the marks of shame ( but marks oh so necessary) they were still here, ugly and disgusting under the cloak, but no longer felt. Worm felt its mind being overtaken by the same unstoppable flow of impressions it had felt when eating Cloth’s soup for the first time, its heart felt heavy and twisting, bearing another kind of pain, another kind of sadness – do not deserve, do not deserve – tears were back again, feeling heavy like stones. ( How can you still, after all this, when you shouldn’t even be alive, when you’re not even a person, when you feed on other’s memories) . The memories were poisoned, they were a burden, a curse, they brought nothing but fear and regret, they were made of guilt, made with the overwhelming feeling of loss and… There was some kind of very dainty sand in the bottom, sand flowing between fingers, bubbles, the air, voices above “ So you too come from far away! That’s amazing ! What are the places you’ve visited ?” how much love could be felt in this distant voice, how much love ? And soul, too, soul was overflowing from something in worm that was cracked, it surrounded it with its presence, the presence of one that was alive and yet “ Pharloom ! I’ve never been there but I’ve heard of it. There are bad rumours about it though!”. Soul was in all these faraway places, in all the beings and in the memory, in every child made of void, soul had been overflowing with the intensity of new life and yet, light extinguished ( but new light here, new light in this place, dancing shadows, gleeful little knights). And there where plants too, soft sprouts on the edge of the basin, and other types of moss, of delicately long mushrooms too, voices and space above and below “ Still, now that I know you never received formal training I’m even more impressed, and you’re fun to be with too”. How could it still, after all this, with everything it bore, with the curse engraved on its body and mind, how could it ? and they were here, sometimes smiling, sometimes sad, with their own stories and adventures, far away in the earth… Worm took all the memories and clasped them as hard as it could, ( as he could), filling them with all the love, with all the soul, the memories were made of pain, of infinite regret, infinite shame, pain that could never be described in words, darkness infinite, horror rolling all over, and yet it contained the love, all the kinds of love that they could give, the king’s deep love for the root, the king’s infinitely painful love for the children, the Wyrm’s unconditional love for its life and for the world. Tears all over, now, the limit between air and water not distinct, and soul, soul still. “ Well I’m good with my hands, but my memory is horrible, I couldn’t remember one percent of all the plants you use!” There was something in the air, something of the dream and something that was very real, as worm still held tight to the memories. The very precious memories that belonged to the Wyrm, because they were so savage yet so beautiful, with blood and battles and great seas and sun, stars, forests so deep they had no end, fields of flower and there was so much of a world beyond the wastelands, and such an hunger for what it was, things lost forever in the changing times, things forever cherished in the brightness of their pictures, in the million stories they held, in the wind that was hurling and strong , in the way it felt to fight it, the mindless wind, the sea, space and desert, with the inevitable loss and the wonderful beauty of battle, these could no be forsaken, never, never throw them away, they’re so much more, so much more than... And the Wyrm had been brimming with soul, too, because of it they meant so much, these sights, it had been like others beings had been and it had left something. Their voices too, they held that light, they – “ You’re very interesting, I insist, I’d like to know you better, Cloth !”. And of course they were the memories of the king, taking them in its arms felt like hugging a ball of shards, they were repeating, turning, they were something that could not let a being live like it was nothing ( Your life is like all other lives, isn’t it, but have you earned it ?), they were full of acidic darkness – don’t throw them away, he too had the soul, was a being, take it and bear with it, those are precious, those are infinite, no matter if they’re pale, no matter if they’re not truly yours, no matter if they’re stolen, stolen from death, stolen from time, stolen from the fate that defined them, do not throw them away, do not ( but this is the voice of soul, isn’t it, the hopeful essence of life, the little light that was singing “ survive, survive, live a little more just a little more” and … They’re so many thing you don’t know.</p><p>Beside the beautiful and violent memories of the Wyrm, beside the tragic memories of the king, very dark, very still, there were the memories of a third being. Memories of a very different pain, of a soft voice, of moss under feet, of a bowl of soup. These little, sightless memories belonged to worm, and maybe, if they were like the others, because they had their lot of pain, their lot of joy, their lot of story, maybe it was not nothing, maybe it was, just a little, with little soul, with little life, and if it was, if it just was despite everything, maybe these memories too could be loved .</p><p>Worm had felt things that the others had not, different, small, pitiful, laughable and … It was ? No… ( there’s still soul and this is not nothing, very close, but it isn’t)</p><p>It held things no one could be proud of, but also something tender, about others, about Cloth the adventurer, about gratefulness, and sometimes the laughs and it … no worm was. He was… ( but is there something to be, now, something specific ? No, it’s just the moments, the very few moments, just … not nothing.)</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>In this moment, he just was.</p><p> </p><p>Worm felt suddenly very tired, the voices and everything else faded.</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>Quirrel entered the den of the blue roots, carrying an overloaded backpack and a big book that couldn’t fit in it. Now was the time ! Thanks to Looma, very specific questions he had about some vegetal species of Hallownest were about to be answered. The den of the blue roots was a very good place to settle in, Looma was definitely a very sensible one. He spotted the tent easily, and jumped towards it. He knocked, and someone answered him from the inside. “ Yeah ! Come in !” Quirrel entered. Much to his surprise, he discovered that Looma was drinking tea with none other than … “ Cloth” ! He exclaimed. “ How funny to find you here !”</p><p>Visibly amused by the bug’s surprise ( he was the one wo told her about the healer, what was so surprising here ?) Cloth said: “ Good day, Quirrel the scholar. It seems we meet a lot these days !”</p><p>“ Hello ! Looma said. Do you come for the plants you told me about ?</p><p>“ Yes ! I took my herbarium !”</p><p>Quirrel put the ridiculously big book on the table.</p><p>“Impressive !” Looma said.</p><p>“ I hoped you could held me complete my notes …”</p><p>“ Of course ! Let me see what you have. So … Oh, I get why you couldn’t recognize these ones, they’re tricky when you’ve never heard about it. See, these are just common duckweed, but in their second blooming, which happens extremely rarely, as most individuals dies after the first.”</p><p>“ Interesting ! Let me take that down… And … What about this one ?”</p><p>“ Well well, I didn’t know you could find those around these parts. This is a black sabot, normally, it enjoys places that are well lit and quite dry, how strange that they could grow here !”</p><p>“ Actually, this one is not from Hallownest, it comes from one of my travels in the desertic borders.”</p><p>“ I see, that explains a lot .”</p><p>Their conversation continued from a long time, Cloth was trying to remember some of the names, while failing spectacularly.</p><p>“ If you want to see, they’re some rare specimens I grow in the room underneath, do you want to see ?”</p><p>“ Of course, how could I refuse !”</p><p>Using the ladder with ease, they got down towards one of the other rooms.</p><p>“ Just don’t scream if you find my collection too impressive, I have a client in the room next to this one.”</p><p>“ No problem, I can control myself !”</p><p>Quirrel let the healer head first into the room, and heard her saying :</p><p>“ Worm, what are you doing here ?”</p><p>Quirrel entered the room behind her, quite curious about what he was about to see.</p><p>Indeed, Looma had the right to boast about her collection : They were pots and bocals of plants with an endless variety of shapes and colours , some were luminescent, other seemed to move, other had spikes or transparent tentacles. Then, his attention was drawn to the bug that had been called out by Looma. They were small and nondescript, with a cloak and a hood hiding most of their features. Yet, there was something familiar about them.</p><p>“ Sorry if … wasn’t supposed to come here ( the stranger’s voice sounded hollow and weary). I just came out of curiosity, to observe.”</p><p>“ Well it’s okay as long as you don’t make a mess. But still, I wonder what you can get from this room.”</p><p>“ But … There’s something interesting here… This one, or rather, there’s one of these that has a strange behavior: vibrates slightly when something approaches from underneath of from the sides, bot not if it’s from above.”</p><p>“ Which one ?”</p><p>“ The one that smells like a wet towel.”</p><p>Looma approached one of the plant, a rather plain one, round, of a greyish green with no distinguishable feature.</p><p>“ Indeed, she said. It kind of smells like a wet towel. But still, please don’t fiddle with the plants in this collection. Just so you know, they’re spiky ones here”</p><p>“ However, that’s a strange behaviour you describe", Quirrel said.</p><p>Quirrel saw the bug tense up and taking a step away from him. Yet, they continued:</p><p>“ Maybe that’s a defense mechanism … and, the reason why it doesn’t react when things approach from above … Hypotheses can be that it only reacts to vibrations from the soil or … Sorry, you came here to see the other plants right ?”</p><p>“ No, continue, please, this sounds interesting”, Quirrel said. Whoever this bug was, he surely had some background in research, to talk about things that way.</p><p>“ And … The other hypotheses is that it reacts to chemical signals and there's maybe another reason for this whole thing, for instance, the part that is not in the ground could act as some kind of decoy, and it doesn’t react because this is what the plant is waiting for.”</p><p>Looma laughed : “ Not far from the truth, Worm ! Actually, it’s a good thing you didn’t touch it, because if you did, the trap would have been activated and it would have bitten your hand. This plant is a rather vicious organism called Tuadrasilla, it appreciates deep caverns.”</p><p>“ That was just a lucky guess,” said the bug – Worm apparently, though his parents must have been pretty terrible people to name him like that , Quirrel thought.</p><p>Looma laughed a little and said: “ Well, Quirrel, meet Worm, he’s my patient from now. And Worm, meet Quirrel the scholar. It seems you two might get along quite well!”</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>Hearing this name, Worm felt something cold, something that came from the king’s memories. There was danger, too, this one had ties with the past, he was Monomon’s apprentice, it was even possible that he knew … But he didn’t say anything, though . And worm was now very different from the form of the King, that he could make the link was very unlikely. Maybe, just this once, worm could go with its … with his interest and follow curiosity.</p><p>“ Scholar ? he asked. What is your field of research ?”</p><p>A small sound came from the scholar’s direction. Amusement ? Perhaps satisfaction. He said :</p><p>“ Right now I’m doing a comprehensive survey of the impact of Hallownest’s ecosystems and morphological dynamics on unattended infrastructure.”</p><p>This sounded like a very important work. But taking all these things into account, it was likely that the scholar would drown in his own data before he could ever finish his researches. Well, maybe not. Maybe he was especially diligent and well learned in all the subjects his study took into account, who knows …</p><p>“ And what are your main hypotheses ?”</p><p>This conversation brought up some of the memories from the king, some incredibly painful, ( research for a goal, research even if it hurts more than anything else) some other, older ones, that were just melancholy ( when the workshop was not a place of pain, yet, when it was about curiosity about the place and silly experiments).</p><p>“ For now, Quirrel answered, it’s that the biological and chemical factors are way more important than the others, and that everything depends widely on the type of stone used for construction. Right now I am taking samples to run tests later.”</p><p>Suddenly, cloth’s voice could be heard from the room above : “ Looma, can you come ? There’s this old guy who needs you, he says he has mandible aches !”</p><p>“ I’m coming” Looma said cheerfully. “ Now I’m going to make a remedy for this poor elder in the room above. You two have fun !”</p><p>Then she left, not knowing that this was … a fatal mistake !</p><p>When Looma was gone, worm suddenly had an idea. ( This was not a serious idea at all, this was … different.)</p><p>“ These samples …Do you have them with you right now ?”</p><p>“ Yes, I do, why ?”</p><p>( This was in fact an incredibly silly idea that came from nowhere – from life or soul ?)</p><p>“ Do you have bocals, too, to … you know, collect ?”</p><p>“ Yes, but why ?”</p><p>“ In this place… There’s a hot spring.”</p><p>( Where did this come from ? This should not …)</p><p>Worm continued :</p><p>“ I think you should … Try to put some of your rocks in the water. To see what it does.”</p><p>“ What a good Idea !” Quirrel answered ( there was something mischievous and mirthful in his voice) “ Moreover, given the fact that the springs’ water contains diluted minerals with strong properties, this could create chemical reactions !)</p><p>The deed was done, they were really going to do this… Worm was torn between consternation and anticipation. They went to the hot spring, he heard Quirrel putting water in some bocals, then the gentle splash of rock being put into them, then … The exclamation:</p><p>“ Wow ! This one from Crystal Peaks had turned the water green !”</p><p>Suddenly, Worm felt unexplainably excited by the idea that the water had changed colours, this was …</p><p>He felt an urge to laugh, as well as to roll on the floor with utter embarrassment, this was like …</p><p>One memory, one memory from the workshop, in the first years, from its blackened and dismal hue, became a little brighter, still grey, still sad, but ... Not as much.</p><p>This was … fun.</p><p>A very simple, very strange thing, it was a very short feeling, like a spark, like a small surge of something other, before...</p><p> </p><p>Suddenly, the claw of guilt grasped the instant like it was brittle glass and destroyed it, leaving only an uncanny sense of nostalgia.</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>While working on the remedy for the old bug cavities, Looma suddenly felt that something she had never approved of had happened to her hot spring.  </p><p> </p><p>...</p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I hope you liked this chapter !</p><p>This one was quite long, for a change. Also, with these long bits, I realise that it's very frustrating to write from Worm's perspective, but that's also when things can get the most creative so, it's not so bad .<br/>And it seems we're finally moving out of the whole it/its thing ! this was really annoying to have such a restricted use of pronouns .</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Little Seekers</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Three bearers of masks discover the wonderful methods of inquiery.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Other bugs were not up yet, most lights from the houses and working sites were turned of. The city was blue again, and little could be seen of the colours it had in the many lights, of its golds, reds and green. Despite the work to reinforce the cave’s ceiling, water was still pouring in places. With graceful hops and small laughter, Hornet danced between the drops of water, toying with needle and silk, jumping around like she had always loved. This game was one of many other games ( sneaking out of Deepnest, messing with the weaver’s work, not getting wet in the most humid city, and of course, surprise her siblings with a good fear !)</p>
<p>She descended through the basin, which was strangely calm now that all its inhabitants were sleeping ( well, maybe not so calm after all, form place to place, the cavern echoed loud snores), and at once, she arrived to the palace.</p>
<p>Hornet knew many of the secret passages that were built into the edifice: how often she had gotten lost in them, how amusing it was to see Hegemol fail at following them when they fled through narrower passage-ways. Through one of her favorite shortcuts, one that involved a great deal of agility, avoiding the spikes from the roof and other tricky maneuvers, she got to the window of her sibling’s room. How fun it would be to see all of them sleeping like this, unaware of the terrible foe looming over them ! She could crash into the room and wake them all up in one go, what a panic it would cause in the castle ! Just thinking about it made her ready to laugh out loud !</p>
<p>But what was that ? Two shadows, one awkward and taller, the other one tiny and decisive, sneaking towards the door ? Is seemed Ghost was up to something again, and, unsurprisingly, they had dragged poor Hallow along in their mischief. Hornet rethought her plan. These two were going to be her next victims ! </p>
<p>With no sound to be heard, she snuck in through the window, and purposefully placed herself on to of the bigger shelf, ready to strike ! Just wait a little more, just a little, a few seconds, then … now ! Creating momentum with her thread, Hornet launched herself, and crashed gloriously on the two siblings, and made them her prisoners.</p>
<p>*Ah ! Hornet, what are you doing ?*<br/>Ghost expressed through their shared link.</p>
<p>“ You two are my prisoners now, she whispered misciviously. Now, Hallow and Ghost, explain yourselves, why are you two sneaking out so early ?”</p>
<p>*Let us go ! Hallow whined. We were supposed to leave discreetly.*</p>
<p>“Alright, she laughed, pulling back her thread. But you to have to let me in in your little game !”</p>
<p>*Yes, we will ! Ghost complained, but first we have to get out, so don’t ruin our plans.*</p>
<p>Silently, like thieves in the night, the three advanced through secret ways and shortcuts to the exit of the palace.</p>
<p>“ So now, tell me ! Where are we going ?”</p>
<p>*We’re on an adventure ! Ghost announced proudly.*</p>
<p>*Yes, this is an inde… invet … investigation .*</p>
<p>“ Really ? And what are you investigating ?”</p>
<p>Ghost then explained their reasoning to Hornet, while Hallow nodded energically. When this was done, she said :<br/>“ I get it now. This makes sense. But I need to know something. Did you tell your mother about Worm ?”</p>
<p>The siblings shook their heads in perfect coordination.</p>
<p>“ I see. This is good. After all, we don’t know what we could find at the end of this. Usually, being careful is boring, but with this kind of thing, I think it’s quite necessary.”</p>
<p>On this note, the three silently made their way to the dark corner of the City of Tears in which laid the remains of the collapsed temple. This place made the siblings feel uneasy. It lacked light, and the shape of the stones reminded them of what they had seen of the temple, of what it had felt like to fight the empty husk of their father. But there was a lot of meaning in Ghost’s little theory, it laid the ground for hope, for excitement, for something other than the games. This was, all in all, a very good thing.</p>
<p>*Is this a hint ?* ( Hallow was pointing at a very large rock that bore some engravings ( probably the remains of a seal.)</p>
<p>* Maybe ? But it’s a little big...*, Ghost thought.</p>
<p>“ I don’t think this is a hint.”</p>
<p>*But this is a hint*, Ghost communicated victoriously, while holding the piece of fabric they had spotted earlier.</p>
<p>*Is this a hint too ?* Hallow asked, showing something resembling an iron trinket.</p>
<p>“ I think this is a hint”, Hornet confirmed.</p>
<p>*Now that we have found the hints, Ghost began, what we have to do is …Wait, what are we supposed to do when you’ve found the hints ?*</p>
<p>*You have to make a deduction, Hallow communicated . If you stare at them really hard it will give you information.*</p>
<p>Hornet took the trinket and began looking at it from very close, squinting.</p>
<p>“ You’re right ! She exclaimed. There are small bit of thread on this ! And on your ugly rag, Ghost, they’re traces of blood !”</p>
<p>*This much I had noticed*, Ghost sighed.</p>
<p>The trio began staring intently at the two hints. </p>
<p>“ This goes nowhere ! Hornet sighed, in a frustrated tone. No matter how much I stare at them, no other information comes out !”</p>
<p>*Wait, Ghost thought. I think there’s more than just staring at them. We have to imagine what could have brought those things here !*</p>
<p>*I know, Hallow said. The trinket with thread on it, maybe it was attached to some piece of fabric and it fell out ! And, and, wait, there’s more, I think the deduction is coming, I can see it. If what we think about father being still out there is true, this also means that he was wounded, because of the fight and because of the collapse, so, someone probably helped him because, because, when you need bandages but don’t have any one you, you use, like, a piece of your clothes, and so, the trinket here fell because that person tore through there clothes to make … to make … an emergency kit !*</p>
<p>Hornet and Ghost stared at them, blown away.</p>
<p>“ Hallow … You’re a genius !”</p>
<p>*Why are you so smart suddenly ? *</p>
<p>* I just stared really hard at those things and that’s it. Deductions come only if you stare for a long time.*</p>
<p>“ Hallow, I’m pretty sure staring has nothing to do with it !”</p>
<p>*Maybe you didn’t stare long enough ! This just comes like that, poof !*</p>
<p>Hornet laughed, joined by Ghost’s feeling of amusement.</p>
<p>“ So, the next step is to know if someone with metal things woven into their clothes came through here, and where they went to.”</p>
<p>*How do we do that, though, Ghost worried, because of the workers who came to deal with the rubble, there are no footprints or even traces of blood .*</p>
<p>“ That’s quite simple, Ghost ! They are two types of hints : the things we found are stuff hints, they’re easy to deal with. And then, they’re people hints, that are also called witnesses !”</p>
<p>*But I can’t stare at people !*</p>
<p>“ No, Hallow, Hornet lamented. You don’t have to stare at them ! Now we just have to go and ask around if people have seen a bug that fits our description !”</p>
<p>Hallow and Ghost looked at her with eyes full of admiration. Of course they did, Hornet too was a great detective !</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>...</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hallow appears a little strange and unfit sometimes, but so not underestimate them, they have great intuitive intelligence !</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Starting with small things</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Healing minds and hearts is not easy, but with a rope, at least, scattered parts can be tied together.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>These last days had passed in a blur, long days, strange days with different voices, different kinds of laughter, how Looma failed to scold them seriously because she found it too funny, or because she shared too many common traits with the scholar, his curiosity and his enthusiasm…(“ What are you even doing with the water from my spring ? This is … Who is responsible for this stupid idea ? But wait! Has the water turned green with this one ? How can it even … I have to try this too !”).</p><p>How soul always brought a strange sensation, of changing and losing, and things past, the images, the pains, seemed ever more distant, and always more vivid, these pains so strong that they could be his own, the nature of self seemed fleeting now, like these times, blurry and vague, and how worm could feel with the ones who were lost, feel with those who are long dead, so different from before, it was as if the soul from the springs, the soul from the bitter infusions that Looma made with flowers called “Silver Stars”, the ghosts trapped in his mind were becoming slowly alive, awaking, emerging from something that was like sleep but far more cruel, very long and very dark, a place too dreadful for the flames of nightmares, for it was silent, empty, devoid of touch, devoid of breath, devoid of any dream.</p><p>They were still numb and uneasy, and still, sometimes, they could be heard, with voices of delight, voices of dread.</p><p>Worm was learning the smells of the plants, learning eagerly, putting in each one a name and a feeling, adding them to his mind, protected like the many sights, precious too, with their knowledge, because they had the power to save. During this time, faintly, from time to time, he could hear it, the Wyrm slowly awakening ( What is it ? What is it ? it repeated, Take ! Take ! Take this and this and this ! eat it !), this voice delighted in everything that was new, it wanted more, it felt so hungry and full of regret, regret for sight, regret for light, for the many colours it didn’t know yet and it would never be able to know, for the many colour it held dear in its memories, and it would never be able to see again.</p><p>One day – Which day worm couldn’t tell, these were seamed together by water and scents- Quirrel was here, talking about his theories about rocks and reactions. He had a theory about the things people said about the crystals, the fact that one could hear them singing, that the constrained some sort of energy, it would explain the way it reacted with the rich spring water, that could bring soul, the different sorts of energy were merging, creating something new … </p><p>The crystals were not really singing, but when worm listened closely, he could hear some kind of very high pitched note, something like glass scraping against glass, very slowly.</p><p>-	If they’re still unstable, this sound would make sense, he said. This also explains the energy. It would be likely that there in a reaction within these, a very long term one, a change in the crystal structure that releases energy …</p><p>-	That makes sense ! ( When Quirrel agreed, it felt strangely rewarding, like there was something to worm’s words other than vibrations, something that could please someone like the scholar) . And this also tunes in with the observations I made in Crystal peak, he continued, Crystal sometimes behave like a kind of lifeform, parasitic, perhaps, so it could be capable of chemical exchanges!</p><p>-	Weighing it could be useful, to see if it can gain or lose mass.</p><p>To this, Quirrel had not answered. He kept silent for long seconds, thinking, probably, an outside thought, perhaps, coming uninvited in the conversation. Suddenly, he exclaimed:</p><p>“That’s it ! I know why I thought you looked familiar ! You kind of look like the king’s statue they made in the city !”</p><p>For an instant, worm was about to panic; his voice, very calmly, recited the answer he had prepared if something like this was to happen : “ Ha. It must be a coincidence. Don’t know what’s this king you speak of though. Fortuitous resemblance, no doubt.”</p><p>While he was saying that the voice of the king was arising, and with it came the same horrible sensation worm had felt when it tried to get away from Cloth, ( “no no no, stop it, destroy it this is all a lie, they have to know the things done, how I destroyed, it shall be destroyed, it’s a lie, do not believe, how can you still …”) . </p><p>Quirrel answered “ Yeah, it must be. It’s not as if it was a perfect portrait, after all, you look way less dignified !”</p><p>Worm focused on Quirrel's laugh as hard as it could, focused on learning the details of the voice, on remembering, but still, the king’s cries – why was it her voice though, her voice so soft and yet so- it could not be muted. (“ Begone, begone, unsightly remain of past times ! There’s nothing left for you in this world, though you no longer have the power to tarnish it again, do not assume so boldly you have the right to appear with a breathing face, begone, begone in the darkness where you belong !”)</p><p>Focusing on the laugh, on how the laugh stopped, there is a breath of two seconds after it, two seconds precisely and then, he will...</p><p>“ Why looking so down ? You know, it’s a good thing, you can even earn geo by acting as a doppelganger !”</p><p>Quirrel laughed about it like it was nothing, it lasted a little longer, now, and the crystal sounded a little different. The voice of the king was nowhere to be heard, but the feelings that came with it lingered, and no matter what he did, what he said about the crystals, about the water, about the plants, the shame would not wash away.</p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>On another day, Looma changed the wooden splint for a lighter cast that let him use his left hand. Worm knew many plants, now, and many types of salts and minerals ( their sound, their smell, their taste, how they could be used, their names – and each new name was such a delight for the ghost of Wyrm, such a delight for him.) </p><p>But still, with all these, with the cast, with the soul, with the bandages for acid burn, the whispers would come, the whispers had the tinges of the pain that came from the king, of the shame, with the idea of being him, with lesser form and lesser mind, unable to give and to repay, the whispers said “ burden”, “ how can you pay back”, “ You have nothing to pay”, “nothing you can do”. And still, something else was here too, the sound of souls, the sound of his own voice, saying:</p><p>“ Thank you again, Looma, this is very kind of you to do all this, but you have to know, I have no money and I can’t really do anything useful, so, what can I do to repay you for everything you’ve done ?”</p><p>Looma chuckled a little. </p><p>-	You should think twice before you say those dumb things again Worm. Now use your brain a little and tell me what you did yesterday.</p><p>-	With the dried herbs ?</p><p>-	You sorted all the dried herbs I had in my basket in different pots, yes. Now how many pots were there ?</p><p>( Why was Looma asking these questions ? The whole thing was just him exercising to recognise the plant he’d learned about.) Worm answered, a little uncertain of what it was about.</p><p>-	A lot ?</p><p>-	These were 112 pots ! You should a least have an idea of how much time you’ve saved me with these. But alright, if you really insist on the fact you can’t do anything, it shall be done !</p><p>Looma had said this last bit with an ominous tone.</p><p>-	W… What shall be done ?</p><p>-	Since you ask for it, I will put you through the most gruelling task that exists in this house, one that I have been procrastinating about for one month ! Now come with me !<br/>
Worm followed the healer, full of apprehension. What could it be ? This could only be one thing, the terrible punishment Looma had prepared because of the whole spring incident. Something terrifying, no doubt about it.</p><p>-	Here we are ! She said.</p><p>The room had a strong smell of dried hay . He felt Looma putting some of the long herbs in his hands.</p><p>-	This is my harvest of long leaves, she said, normally they’re used to make rope, but it’s a very, very long and boring task. But since you’re asking for it … you are officially named ropemaker !</p><p>Looma explained how the rope should me made, and guided his hands through the first move until he had understood the process. This was very simple: one has to braid the long leaves together one by one, in order to obtain many very thin ropes ( each of them had to be very long, apparently, at least twenty times his own size), and then, all these had to be braided together again, and on and on, through a very long process, until the final large rope was obtained.<br/>
At first, his fingers were slow and clumsy, and yet, the shape could be felt, and with each long leave added, it became softer, more regular, different than what it was. Though this work was supposed to be slow and boring, worm went through it with a strange sort of fascination; there was something warm about these movements, about the feeling of the thread of longs leaves, about measuring the length of the completed threads. </p><p>This was not about the voice of the Wyrm. During this work, the raging beast kept silent ( the Wyrm, after all, liked to take, were it sights, knowledge, experiences, but this was different from just taking.) The voice had something to do with concentration, a melody hummed, things that were different coming together to form the other ( form the spell, form the charm, the funny charm for the defender, with unmentionable effects, the pale charm that was sad and full of tears, and the black shapes, all new, and all precious in some way because they were not before and they were now).</p><p> These feelings too were different, not shame, or pain, or guilt, just the simple fascination that came with making, making a very simple thing, a simpler things for simpler beings, who didn’t need to be noticed, who didn’t need to bear the weight of a world, who could wander in endless caverns as long as they wanted, unnoticed and free.</p><p> </p><p>Worm continued for a very long time, following the long rope as if it were a road, always the same, but always a little more longer, a little more complete, the road also went through the beginning of sleep … What it would be to follow it, to follow a very long road, and at the very end, be awaited ( because there was a light in the shape of a great tree at the end of the road of leaves, and it was turned towards something in the distance, a thing of light, a thing of horizon.)</p><p> </p><p>...</p><p>Worm grasped the rope harder and it all faded to darkness.</p><p>The rope, the road, it was all good in itself. </p><p>This leads nowhere, the whispers said, this leads nowhere, and nobody awaits.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>...</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I tried to make a rope like that, once. It's a long work, but you can do it even with grass and random plants, it's surprisingly sturdy.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Little Finders</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ghost, Hallow and Hornet continue their investigation.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hornet frowned in irritation at the sentinel, who was looking down at her with a smug expression.</p>
<p>“ I might have seen the bug you’re talking about, and I might not ! If you want this information, prove it with geo!”</p>
<p>Hornet’s looked at the greedy sentinel with defiance.</p>
<p>“ Just tell us already, you old fly !”</p>
<p>“ Give me 50 geo and I will”, she answered, looking annoyingly self-satisfied.</p>
<p>“ Then take you geo,  miser !”</p>
<p> Hornet reluctantly gave the right amount of geo.</p>
<p>“ Well then, the sentinel chuckled, I think I saw a bug with iron trinkets woven on their clothes, I saw them from time to time in the city, speaking with Ogrim, the great knight.”</p>
<p>Hornet felt her siblings’ excitement at the mention of the white defender, and left the sentinel standing alone. ( She should not be thanked, she already had her geo !). Together, they rushed towards the entrance of the waterways, a spot that Ogrim seemed to really appreciate, despite its … remarkable smell. </p>
<p>Ogrim was there, indeed, sparring with Isma (how she could have accepted to train in so odorant a place remained a mystery). The two fought a fight that could have been deemed knightly and elegant, were it not for the use of the infamous technique of dung balls.</p>
<p>“Hola, Ogrim ! Can we interrupt you for a minute?”</p>
<p>Ogrim stopped and waved at them happily, this moment of distraction causing him to take Isma’s attack in full force.</p>
<p>- Pay attention, little ones! She exclaimed. You know how easy it is to distract our great knight!</p>
<p>- Don’t scold them, Isma, It’s entirely my fault. But, Hornet, Hallow and Ghost, what do you want for me? It you want to spar you will have to wait for the end of my match with Isma.</p>
<p>The three jumped towards him, Hallow and Ghost gesticulating way to fast for the poor dung beetle to understand a single thing.</p>
<p>-	We heard you know a bug who wears clothes with metal trinkets, Hornet asked. Do you know where they are?</p>
<p>-	You must mean Cloth !</p>
<p>-	So their name is Cloth ? Hornet said.</p>
<p>-	Her name, yes. I can’t tell you exactly where she is right now, but if you’re looking for her, you should head towards Dirtmouth, she told me she had things to do out there, when we last met.</p>
<p>-	Thank you, Ogrim !</p>
<p>On these words, the three disappeared as swiftly as they had arrived, rushing towards Dirtmouth. This too is a very fun adventure, Ghost thought. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Dirtmouth had changed a lot since the last time they went there: from a little town lost in the vastness of the cavern, it had become a real city, brimming with strangers arriving from all directions, tents of many colours, and an endless number of signs and languages that they didn’t know. They were also a lot of new shops, selling goods from Hallownest and many things from other places, baked goods, clothes, weapons, shields and nails made from unknown material.</p>
<p>Surrounded with all these new things, it was very easy to lose sight of one’s goal; Ghost felt compelled to explore and visit every shop, while Hallow had a hard time dealing with the amount of people. Then, Ghost saw her: In front of a bakery, holding a very large piece of honey cake, there was the person that matched their description. She was listening to a small person with a grumpy air that looked a lot like Ghost, and who seemed to be bragging about their unstoppable might.</p>
<p>Hornet took a step towards her, but the stranger seemed to have spotted them too, and hurried towards them, leaving the other bug brooding in the background.</p>
<p>-	The three little knights! She exclaimed.</p>
<p>Hornet looked quizzically at her and asked: “ Are you Cloth ?” (Behind her, her siblings were observing the scene with intensity.)</p>
<p>-	Yes, Cloth is my name! How do you know it, little knight?</p>
<p>-	Ogrim told us about you. Do you mind if I ask you a few question?</p>
<p>-	Not at all, she answered gleefully, go ahead!</p>
<p>-	Some time ago, did you happen to rescue someone at the limit between the forgotten crossroad and the city if tears, where the temple collapsed?</p>
<p>-	Yes, I did! </p>
<p>Hallow and Ghost got closer, their curiosity and hope could be felt strongly by their sister. Meanwhile, Hornet herself felt apprehension, the more they went one, the more she felt the answer they would find at the end of this journey would not be the most pleasing.</p>
<p>-	This person… were they called “Worm” ?</p>
<p>-	Yes, absolutely! You’re right! But how, then, are you acquaintances?</p>
<p>So that was it, indeed, they were on the good track. Happiness, Eagerness to continue, to find, finally to find and to answer were expressed by her siblings. Hornet answered:</p>
<p>-	Yes, we are, in a way. Do you know where we could find him? This is very important.</p>
<p>-	Of course ! Go to greenpath, and then, look for the den of the blue roots! You’ll find him here, and if he’s not, ask the healer who lives in this place, her name is Looma.</p>
<p>-	Thank you very much for your help!</p>
<p>Hornet rushed through the words abruptly, and just as quickly, the three siblings were off. Cloth did not even have the time to call them out, and there were so many things she wanted to ask: Who they were, where they were from, if they wanted to come, perhaps, on a new adventure. But the three little knights had already disappeared, leaving her alone with terrible company. (Indeed, ready to continue his tales of glorious combat, Zote the mighty was approaching her again!)</p>
<p> </p>
<p>…</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The three siblings traveled across Greenpath quickly, still remarking its many changes, and the new demeanor of the people of Unn. The sought in different tunnels, different cavers, followed way they had fought through before, when they were still ignorant explorers with no memories or mission, when they had nothing to distract them from the pure wonder of discovery. </p>
<p>Hornet’s fears, it seemed, had reached her siblings: the more they advanced towards their destination, the more uneasy they became. Without them realizing it, their pace had gradually grown slower, so much so that when they reached the den of the blue roots, they were just walking, measuring each step as it seemed to weight on then, on the air, on the plants all around.</p>
<p>Hornet jumped first towards Looma’s tent, the siblings following after her. Inside, she found a tall bug with a long neck who looked at them with a bewildered expression.</p>
<p>-	What do you think you’re doing, you three, entering other people’s homes like that!</p>
<p>-	Sorry, ma’am, Hornet said. We thought this was an open shop. We came here because we have a few questions to ask you.</p>
<p>Looma looked at them a few seconds, with amusement, interest, and something else that had to do with the way her whole body tensed when she saw the three strangers.</p>
<p>-	Go ahead, then, ask me.</p>
<p>-	Do you have someone who calls himself “Worm” living with you? </p>
<p>The healer looks at them sideways and answered:</p>
<p>-	Yes, I do. He’s not here now, though, he went on an errand for me a few hours ago.</p>
<p>-	Could you tell us where he went to, we need to meet him, this is very important?</p>
<p>-	Of course, she said. He should be near the lake of Unn, collecting materials. But why are you looking for him, though?</p>
<p>-	He’s someone we know, from some time ago. Sorry, but we have to leave.</p>
<p>Following Looma’s direction, the three siblings continued their quest, getting closer and closer to their goal. There was now something ominous about it. Ghost felt it, Hallow did, too, their excitement had been replaced by fear, by the impression that there was something bad about the truths they were about to discover, something that would hurt them deeply and bring back many pains from their past, that some things, maybe, could be left in the dark, because it was too much to bear, because it could break the heart of their siblings, the heart of their mother.</p>
<p>But still, they advanced, still they had to reach, to know, to grasp the final answer, even if it would burn them, in one way or another, something deep in their being told them that they had to.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>…</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The three siblings arrived at the lake of Unn. The scenery was beautiful, majestic and heavy, something in the air compelled them to stay silent. </p>
<p>At the end of the jetty, immobile in front of the acidic water, a silhouette was standing. Even from the distance, they could make out the shape of a broken crown. <br/>The silhouette did not move, seemingly unaware of their presence.</p>
<p>Hornet took a step forward, resolutely, fears now had to be relinquished, this was their will, their goal, this had to be done. She inadvertently stepped on a piece of broken shell, producing a loud crack.</p>
<p>The person close to the lake (a little too close, actually), started with surprise and turned briskly towards them.</p>
<p>Now, it seems, he was starring at them with empty eyes, not uttering a single word.</p>
<p>They could see everything, now, the way he leaned a little too much on a walking stick, the dull shell, that seemed dusty and easy to break, the bandages, the crown, broken, with the precise angle of her attack …</p>
<p>Now that they saw him, not in dreams, not in illusion, not in memories, there was no mistake to be made. This form, despite its lack of light, despite its broken crown, despite its fading presence (so unlike the regal glow, the air of sad dignity that surrounded him at the time), this form was the form of the pale king, the form of their father.</p>
<p>They remembered it vividly, now, the sound of needle against brittle shell, the sound of nail tearing trough the orange veil, beyond it, in flesh and in blood, the screeching sound, the horrible sensation of shredding through the seals that surrounded him …</p>
<p>Strangely, he kept silent, not moving, not saying anything, a feeling of dread slowly filled the air as the tension was rising slowly, making the atmosphere hurtful and stifling. It had to be broken, it had to, now, or something terrible will happen, something you did not dare to think about, it will happen before your very eyes and you’ll be unable to do anything about it-</p>
<p>Hornet spoke, breaking the silence with resolution (Yet her voice sounded small and childlike, almost afraid of its own sound.)</p>
<p>She said:</p>
<p>“Father. Is that you?”</p>
<p>The pale king flinched, his stick fell on the ground, and in the eerie silence, the noise seemed so loud … (Was it still the pale king, though? There was nothing pale about the figure in front of them, nothing of the power of a king, nothing of the light the mother has so cherished. But without all these, he still was the same being, and even without anything left from his previous form, he would still be their father.)</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The father kept silent for a few minutes that felt like an eternity, in which none dared to move, even to breathe, even the acid in the lake was slightly trembling.</p>
<p>Then, finally, he answered.</p>
<p>With a weak, hollow voice.</p>
<p>But nonetheless, his voice.</p>
<p>The single word sounded immensely relieving and yet infinitely painful.</p>
<p>His answer:</p>
<p>“Yes.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Not really a heartfelt reunion ...</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Cold Hands</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Hornet, Ghost and Hallow are reunited with their father.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>WARNING ! <br/>Most of the warnings for this fic are valid for this chapter. If you're sensitive to the subjects of suicidal mindset and unstable mental health, proceed with care. This chapter also includes a reference to something very disturbing that could have happened, it could make the reader uncomfortable.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Worm added two leaves of greenwhisps in the basket. Looma was right, in this specific place, they were very common. Worm also found them rather easy to find, because they had long roots that crawled on the ground for long distances; when stepping on it, one just had to follow it and it would lead to the plant, that was easily recognisable by its smell of rotting fruit. </p>
<p>There was something particular about this cavern, sounds and air showed that is was vaster than the many tunnels of Greenpath, and the smell of acid was also noticeably stronger here. There was a presence, too, something very old and dignified, that has always been and that still defined the place by the power of its dream. </p>
<p>There was also the entrance of an empty building, probably a temple. The sign carved in wood confirmed Worm’s impression: this was the lake of Unn. </p>
<p>Worm advanced on the jetty and sat on its edge, trying to imagine the view one could have from here, the colours of the lake, the cavern’s majesty. Now that the infection was gone, it was likely that Unn’s influence over these caverns had grown, which would explain the variety of plants that was to be found around the place. </p>
<p>There was also a very soft wind, in here (the wind of Unn, maybe , or a wind coming from very far away, from other caverns, other gods, it was light and warm, there, but it also manifested their influence, their presence, in the outside, other caverns, perhaps, secret ways.</p>
<p>Worm wondered what it would feel like to visit those, to get away, to go very far, where no one would know him, the thing he was, the things he had done, where he could be just another traveler with no story exept from the stories of wandering. But this was an illusion, wasn’t it? The memories would never fade away, they could not, they should not: how unfair and cruel it would be to just forget for the sake of mind, to abandon all the things that had been entrusted to him, to abandon the suffering it always brought up… It could not get away. Or, more precisely, it could go, it could disappear, releasing the kingdom of its pain going far away into the night, were now one could find him, no one could think of him, where he would just fade away with the harsh winds and there would be nothing left…</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Worm wondered what he should do next. Even if they still hurt from time to time, his injuries were mostly healed, so even if it still hurt, he should go, Looma was content with the way he had tried to repay her (even if most of it was still her benevolence). He would take the basket to her door, filled to the brim, and then he would say goodbye and go. (No matter if the pain was still here, with time, some of it would fade away. Besides, most of it was fantom pains that came from older wounds that has been healed long ago, from the parts he had lost, most of it came from the mind and would never fade away.)</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Worm wondered where he should go, next. This was a nice illusion, too, thinking that he could go far away in his current state, that he would even make it outside of Hallownest. Spikes and acid bound his travel to an early end (after all, from the very beginning, things should have ended this way.) From the beginning, Worm had lived on bought time, on a time he had seized by chance only, this was but a random streak of luck, for a random little existence who had completed its goals, now. Worm had been a living being like the others, like the Wyrm and like the King, he had had his thoughts, his new sensations, his small hopes, he had finally embraced everything, willingly, it had accepted the pain, and proven that it could love, that even if it was small, even for a short time, it could live.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>There were no further paths, it was not so bad, Worm had had his lot, a small life, to fit a small being, a transient existence, with it, it should be content. He could not be stopped by regrets, regrets made up his whole mind, they were things that could never be repaired, regrets had to do with the fact that he was still here, still able to cause pain, so maybe … This was the right time.</p>
<p>Worm left the basket of plants in the temple and got back to the jetty, standing on its edge, his ears slowly being filled by the whispers : This was right, this was a good end, things were complete and could not go any further, this was the end of the road, and no one at the end, it just stopped, as it should, this was the end of the time deserved, well deserved, to the measure of a small amount of soul, not deserved any further, for Worm, this was enough. </p>
<p>This would be fast, right? Besides, he had known worst pains than that, this would be very fast and then it would be-</p>
<p> </p>
<p>A loud crack resounded through the cave, echoing powerfully through the silence. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Worm started with surprise and turned back, trying to make out the presence that was now looming a few feet away from him, unable to tell what it was. Someone, or something was there, but it did not move, it uttered no sound, it just stood there, surrounded by a heavy atmosphere. (Could it be the hunter? His claws, too, would be a fitting end, even if the creature, surely, would feel no pleasure in taking the life of a being like Worm.)</p>
<p>Then, he heard it: the voice.</p>
<p>“Father. Is that you ?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>This was Hornet’s voice, Hornet was here, and she was not alone, there was another presence, it had to be … her siblings: the children who had so bravely fought and who had saved the kingdom, they were here and he almost …</p>
<p>Worm suddenly felt like it was about to throw up, a feeling of indescribable shame and disgust crashed on him, he had almost done it – Had it ever felt such disgust towards itself, or was it just the usual guilt, the usual shame, returning in full force because they were here?</p>
<p>The loud sound of the stick hitting the ground surprised him, and it brought back the question: “ Father, is that you ?” </p>
<p>The answers prepared, turning in his head felt like hideous lies, the children deserved better than that, much better, the lies had already made them suffer so much, they deserved the truth, the most disgusting, horrible truth, they deserved it more than he had ever deserved anything.</p>
<p>What should he say, then? The obvious answer was too much too bear, this was so early, he was not ready for that, because of the shame it implied, because all the little lies worm had been whispering to itself ( the voice of the Wyrm, the voice of the king, this is a a lie, a lie because you’re a coward, because you’re to weak, because you know it well, if you ever admit, if you ever say it out loud, it will finally prove that form the beginning, you had no right to live.) The word will seal the truth forever and he would never be able to escape it, because the many losses of the Wyrm were his own losses, because the Kings innumerable sins were his own sins, because even it should never had been allowed to, even if he had done so many terrible things, even if he had seen the void taking over them , he was still their father.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He was, with everything it implied, and it made it so much worse, the memories, the crimes, the lies ( and for them who were still alive and free, and still had not been spared : the happiness denied, the many times he had seen them in the castle , when he had tried to laugh, to smile, the only love he could give at the time was bittersweet and full of sadness, and the failure, because they too had to fight because of his weakness).</p>
<p>He was, and could not escape it, should not, do not dare, they will bring your final punishment and all this will be deserved …</p>
<p>So he said it:</p>
<p>“ Yes.”</p>
<p>The word was told, the truth was sealed, escape relinquished, now the only thing left to do was to face it, face it whatever it is, take it, accept, whatever they do, they have earned it.</p>
<p>Worm felt his legs give way under him and fell on the ground with a small thud. He could hear them getting closer, tried to imagine what they would do, how it would end (and from a long distance he almost saw them again, fighting his infected body, would they come then, needle and nails?)</p>
<p>Hornet’s voice could be heard again, closer, now, and different from the first time (how could it be? Happy, relieved and more confident.)</p>
<p>“Father ! We’re so happy that you’re still alive!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Something pierced through his heart, more painful than needle or nail, they were happy, for them, seeing him still breathing, still in this world, it could still be a good thing because they did not know, because they were purely sharing love, genuine, complete love, the devastating love he could never accept without infinite guilt, infinite pain ( How easy it would have been if they could hate, how much better it would have felt, to undergo a just revenge, to take at least the impression that he could pay) . </p>
<p>How cruel it could be, to feel a love so undeserved.</p>
<p>And how shameless, that is own love, his love for them which had been so many times sullied, so many times forsaken, how disgraceful that it was blooming and filling his being with so much joy and so much dread…</p>
<p>He could not move, could not speak, moving now would be losing the little control he had over his emotions, one word, one gesture and it would burst open and something horrible, something he could not picture but that should never be would happen and it would be-</p>
<p>Suddenly, he felt something touching his hand. This was the cold hand made of void, void that echoed within his head with feelings of relief and happiness, this was … Hallow.</p>
<p>( Hallow turning back to the abyss, hallow left without voice and without knowledge, blades so early shove into tiny hands that could barely lift a stick, Hallow in  chains, suffering endlessly, shell lost, shade made of pain and regrets, and still giving everything when every single thing to him had been denied)</p>
<p>He felt the reassuring coldness of void, unshaking (when had Hallow’s hands grown like this ?), the calm coldness, and Hallow here was still alive, he was not suffering, the void that made him was not shrieking in pain and frustration, it was just there, whirling slow and peaceful under his shell.</p>
<p>Then, he felt another and on his own, the tiny hand of void made with curiosity and determination, the hand of Ghost (Fighting, again and again, still being hurt and healing desperately, Ghost filled by her twisted orange mist, Ghost trapped with Hornet, forever in a dark temple, never free, never-)</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And still, they were here, both of them, alive, well … saved?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>(But still they had fought, still they had been abandoned, still, they were …)</p>
<p>The hand of his children felt tighter around his own, and alive, with the serene coldness that came from the absence of light, of soft wills, of new lives.</p>
<p>He heard himself, his own voice, like a stranger’s, shaking, repeating the same things over and over:</p>
<p>“Sorry, children I’m so sorry for everything, so sorry…”</p>
<p>This was too much, he could hardly breathe, now, he needed something to take him back, take him back to his pitiful body, take him back to pain …</p>
<p>Hornet said:</p>
<p>“Please, answer them. They have so much to ask.”</p>
<p>In front of him, the air was animated by the movements of cold hands. </p>
<p>The realisation hit him violently, a new sadness, sharp and icy, something like another cruel wind (or pain awaited ?), it had brushed the uncontrollable contradiction of shame and happiness, the endless swirling of thoughts and feelings that put together, formed a monstrous wave, leaving something empty, salvatory desperation.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>They were speaking, right now, with the language of signs.</p>
<p>They were talking to him right now, and he could not see.</p>
<p>Never again would he be able to see the dancing language of his children.</p>
<p>Never again would they share words and thoughts.</p>
<p>Together, and never reunited.<br/>…</p>
<p>(Fate, the cruel thing, was laughing viciously at the irony of the situation, whispering between her sharp teeth : “ Even when everything is lost, everything you’re still bound to lose.”)</p>
<p>…</p>
<p>He reached to Hallow’s end and held it tight, like it was the last thing they would ever share, because it was the last thing, because they would go away and leave nothing, nothing, nothing. </p>
<p>Something humid and warm was now flowing on his cheeks, his whole body was shaking, and he could not stop it.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He could not answer, and they would go and it would be the end, the very sad end, because, powerless one, there’s nothing for you left in this world.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And yet, the cold hand did not pull away.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>...</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This is it !<br/>The worst had been avoided !</p>
<p>( This situation is a mess ! I've no idea how to solve it ...)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0019"><h2>19. Flowers and Echoes</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Because we are children of this time, there is nothing for us to forgive.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>« Please, answer them, they have so much to ask.”</p><p>Her siblings were moving their hands fiercely, adding one question to the other: ”Father, are you okay ?” “Thank you for the charms, they were really useful!” “What happened to you?”</p><p>Their father was starring helplessly into space, only repeating “sorry”, now and then, while his shoulders were beginning to shake, and tears were beginning to form in his eyes. He was now clinging desperately to Hallow’s hand, trying to form words, with little success.</p><p>Suddenly, everything made sense to her.</p><p>She said: “ So you can’t see them, can you ?”</p><p>The former king shook his head, finally able to utter a few words. “I cannot see what you’re signing, sorry.”</p><p>Hornet thought about the charms again. Even if it seemed cruel, it made sense. Great powers in charms could never be freely obtained, his had to carry the will of something that was no more, something that was lost forever. Wyrm Sight, wasn’t it? Wyrm mind, Wyrm soul, Wyrm blood. With all these created, their father’s current form now seemed unavoidable.</p><p>“Don’t worry, she said, we will find a solution. For now, I can repeat the things they say for you. Hallow is asking if you are okay. Ghost says thank you for the charms.”</p><p>Their father turned towards her and nodded a little.</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>Worm understood, now, why they were like this, why they did not seek something like revenge. From their perspective, innocent of other, darker times, he had done everything he could to come to their aid, he was the one who made sacrifices, they didn’t know about the sacrifices he had imposed so many times on others, the sacrifices he had imposed on them.</p><p>Escaping was no longer a possibility, it was to late, he had pushed back the moment because of his weakness and cowardice, but now, it was gone forever, the gate of darkness, of outside, the selfish liberty of going away. Now, he had to confront all his sins, all the people wronged. (Confess, even if you cannot atone, free them of the lies, free them from this fake picture of yourself, and maybe…) Perhaps this was his last duty.</p><p>He had to make it up for all of them, to make it up for her.</p><p>Slowly, he got up, trying to find his balance with the stick. Now, it was almost relieving to think about his weakness, to feel the pain creeping back under the bandages on his legs, this form, in a way, seemed more fitting for what he had to do. (How horrid they would be, the power and the light, the wings still spread out, bright, in such a contrast with the sort of being he was.)</p><p>“Dear children, he said, they are a lot of things I have to tell you. Before you decide what you want me to do, they are things you must know. But first, can we go to the temple?”</p><p>He began to walk towards the temple, feeling out of balance because of his movements ( In the beginning, when he could not leave Looma’s house, he had passed out several time just for standing up too fast, so this was not so surprising.)</p><p>Inside the temple, he noticed the smell of greenwhisps and dawndills from the basket. There was something in here, if he remembered well, something Hallow and Ghost would like, somewhere under the bench.</p><p>He heard Hornet’s voice: “Hallow is asking if they can take a flower.”</p><p>- Of course, take as many as you want.</p><p>He heard Hornet laughing behind him. “Leave it like this, Hallow, she said, this is adorable!”</p><p>Worm continued his search around the bench. It had to be somewhere around here; he had stepped on it earlier.</p><p>Hornet said: “Father ? Why are you hiding behind the statue?”</p><p>“Sorry, I’m just looking for something…”</p><p>Then, he felt it: this was the small shell that had made this strange sound when he had poked it inadvertently with the stick. It had the shape of a snail’s shell and when one tapped on it, it emitted a clear note. The shell also had rough parts with which one could make a scraping sound. (Maybe one could make a third type of sound by blowing on it . This was to be tested later.)</p><p>Worm came back towards the children and sat on the floor.</p><p>- Hallow and Ghost, he began. I have something for you.</p><p>He felt the siblings taking the shells.</p><p>- They are asking what it is, hornet said.</p><p>Now he could hear the sounds coming from their direction, the siblings were already playing with it, creating different combinations, as if it were an instrument. This was to be expected, after all. Their minds were bright open, they had curiosity and intelligence, this would be easy for them.</p><p>- I thought that maybe, even If I cannot see you, we can use this to communicate. Maybe you can tap for yes, scrape for no, and then, for other words, you can choose what you want to do. This will not be very efficient, at first, but after some time, it could work as a secret code …</p><p>His proposition was answered with enthusiastic drumming.</p><p>This sound, strangely, brought up another feeling. Something he had not felt for a very long time, something from the darkened memories of his time as the king: he was proud of them, of how quickly they understood, how eager they were to learn (even back then, he had loved their curiosity, the way the kept sneaking in places where they weren’t supposed to be, their obsession for secret ways and hidden roads).</p><p>This pride was not something he should be allowed to have, admiration, maybe, but pride was an entitlement he never deserved, he could admire them, yes, for what they could do, for what they were, but this had nothing to do himself, with what he was.</p><p>The only thing he had left to do was trying to repair, with the sound of drumming on shells, with the thing he was about to say. This would not bring back anything, things lost were lost forever, dead senses and feelings could not be revived. All he could do was awkwardly mending the cracks his mistakes had let everywhere, trying haphazardly to hold the pieces together, not to replace, just to patch things up with trembling words and clumsy hands.</p><p>“Now, there’s something I have to tell you. You have the right to know.”</p><p>One decisive tapping, another, softer, and a hum of approval. They were ready to listen.</p><p>Worm began to speak. He told them everything, every horrible thing he had done in other times, how he had failed, every time, how so many deaths could have been avoided, if he had been wiser, if he had been more humble, if he had not been clinging to sights, to pale light, to the idea of eternity. (It did not matter if this made no sense to them, for they only knew one time, they had to know his sins or they would never be free from his lies, they had to know because they deserved it, truth no longer denied, shame no longer hidden, they had the right to resent, now, the right to blame.) He told them how this time too, he had failed, how this time too, it was because of is weakness that they had been forced to fight, forced to go through all this (here, however, he left out some details about the conception of the charms, this was another type of truth, one that was only hurtful, one that should not be put into words.)</p><p>With a long sigh, he finished the story, the pitiful tale was over, now they knew, lies around them perdured no longer.</p><p>There was something strange about it, different from what he had anticipated: instead of more shame, instead of more pain (for he had imposed this knowledge on them, this heavy knowledge that could bring no joy), instead of the whispers, there was just silence.</p><p>He felt lighter, now, not because his burden had been put into words, he could write it, claim it over and over, and it would still be here, as dreadful as it was before. The weight gone was not the weight of guilt, or the weight of pain, it was another thing, a thing made of sad smiles and blades behind closed doors, of words rehearsed, repeated mechanically like the notes of a cruel music box. The weight gone was of the chains of lies: they had all the truth, now, even it could hurt, even if it could bear hatred, they were free.</p><p>“So, that was it … Hornet finally said. I can’t affirm that I understood everything, but now, things seem clearer to me.”</p><p>Some light tapping came from the direction of Ghost.</p><p>“They say they understand a little, too. The times you speak of, we have not lived them, we do not remember. If we had lived in one of these times, we would never be able to forgive you.”</p><p>Worm felt relief, hearing these words. Do not forgive, this is a gift he could never accept. How to accept forgiveness from others, when one cannot forgive oneself?</p><p>However, Hornet continued:</p><p>“But we’re not from the times you speak of. We are from this time. In this time, you did everything you could to protect us, you gave up on everything you had just to make sure that everyone could live. Because we are children of this time, there is nothing for us to forgive.”</p><p>These words rested heavy on Worm’s heart. They brought joy, they brought regret, or more precisely, they bought the kind of clear happiness that was so often accompanied by tears and memories of the world, memories of this time. This was the kind of happiness that felt ancient and undeserved, that resembled the things he had felt as a Wyrm, things he had felt leaving his former body, now empty and dead, this was this time, just this time, just this world, just these children.</p><p>And because the light was extinguished, because the higher being had been destroyed, because it was no longer bound by destiny and the absence of death, this meant that this word was the last, the very last world he would ever know, and for the being he had become, the only world that ever was.</p><p>And before him were the last children he would ever have.</p><p>Suddenly, it seemed that all barriers had been broken, the walls erected with guilt crumbled, letting it run free, with a most powerful flow, the love he had never let himself feel, the love repressed, the love that hurt so much, mingled with such memories, love for these children, the children of this time, love rushed through him, tearing through mind and heart, as it seemed now that it could never be stopped.</p><p>“Come here …” He whispered.</p><p>He heard them approaching, and when they were close enough, he tried to hug them as tightly as he could (Though this was made surprisingly difficult due to the problem of size differences). This too, was awkward, this was ridiculous and clumsy and yet, it felt true, more real than anything else before, more genuine, and more beautiful.</p><p>They were tears again, but it did not matter, this did not need to be shrugged of by laughter or despair, this was just a love free of pretense, one that felt painful, that was tinged with a sadness that would never go away, so the tears did not matter, the clumsiness did not matter. All that mattered was that they were together in this time, that all of them lived.</p><p>“So … he said. What do you want to do?”</p><p>“Can we just go home?”</p><p>“Of course. We’ll just have to stop by the den of the blue roots first, and then, we will go.”</p><p>Going home? This meant a lot of things. This meant meeting the root. He knew that he was not ready, that this would come with its lot of painful reunions, but still, this had to be done.</p><p>- Hallow wants to take the basket of flowers, Hornet said.</p><p>(definitely, they seemed to really like these flowers. Worm would have to find others for them, after they returned the basket to Looma.)</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>They began to walk away from the temple when he heard Ghost and Hallow practice a precise succession of sounds on the snail shells. Two quick taps, one short scraping.</p><p>- What is this one? he asked.</p><p>- They say it’s “flower”, Hornet answered.</p><p>Flower was very nice for a first word.</p><p>As they made their way towards Looma’s home, they began to make the first few words.</p><p>A long, rumbling scraping on the shell: “acid”</p><p>A little “toot” by blowing in the shell: “Hallow”</p><p>Three “toots” that were a little like a trumpet: “ Ghost”</p><p>Four little taps like footsteps: “ Greenpath”</p><p>Two small taps and one louder: “ Father”</p><p>The sound of the small instruments echoed through the cavers, filling it with the warm and naïve sounds of these first words, of this new thing they could share, new thing they could learn.</p><p>The world seemed so small and so vast at once: because this was only the caves, the children (his children), the smells, the sound, and because it was so much to just be here, to hear them, because, for the very first time, they were no longer ghosts in his mind.</p><p>Just flowers and echoes.</p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hallow is too precious ! They need to be protected at all costs !</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0020"><h2>20. Battlecry</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The White Lady remembers.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Beware ! This chapter contains obvious references to famous poems. One, especially, is painfully lacking in subtlety. If you find that obvious references to famous poems are cringe worthy, brace yourself !</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p>
<p>The root was resting silently in her solitary night. For a very long time, she had stayed like this, immobile on the earth, gazing at the great sky. From the time the tree had lived, from the time of her birth, she had been here, waiting, as creatures passed between her roots, some were only here for a day or two, others were born here and died, other grew up and then went away, other arrived there at the end of their journey, seeking a lovely grave.</p>
<p>So long she had clasped this twinkling life, of plants and animals, of many different beings with short lives and wonderful colours. She was happy, like this, this was her purpose, he being, to provide shade for those who came by, to let them feed on her kingdom of greenery, to feed on them, when they were dead, when earth and plants reclaimed their bodies.</p>
<p>Many travelers, she had seen, most of them mindless beasts following prey or rain, but sometimes, other things of different shapes and sizes, some with flutes who freed their clear note in the wild, other with swords, sometimes solitary, sometimes in vast companies, they came and went, none of them stayed long. There were also those form beneath, those who had always been here, with their strange tribes and strange customs, warriors, priests, weavers that came from a faraway place, with different instances of mind and speech.</p>
<p>How sweet and satisfying it was, to feel the world change around her, to behold eternally the succession of dusk and dawn, from this one place, this unique place where she had planted her roots, the land, her life, turning peacefully with time, lively caverns below, and above, as always, the immense sky. Many times had she stared at it, seeing small winged travelers being swept around by great winds, seeing snow and seeing rain, thunderstorms and stars in a forever changing, never-ending spectacle.</p>
<p>…</p>
<p>The sky of this night was dark and blue, rainclouds were gathering, and the wind was blowing wildly. How violent, how awe inspiring the sky could be, for her, who was a being of the earth, a being of whispered songs, a being of the land.</p>
<p>A great shriek, at once, resounded in the vast sky, something that was not wind or thunder, something that came from a creature, and yet, that never she had seen. The shriek was raging and desperate, violent like the storm itself, passionate and full of fear.</p>
<p>Intently, the root stared at the sky. She saw it : emerging swiftly from a cloud was an immense white creature, it was incredibly long and despite its lack of wings, it was flying. The creature kept screeching a deafening sound, it twisted in all direction, and emitted a great pale light, a light that bore sensations and thoughts.</p>
<p>Following the long creature were a myriad of smaller, winged beings, they surrounded it, attacking with things that from the distance, looked like arrows and spears, assailing it from all directions with their weapons. The long being was whirling furiously in its attempts to escape them, and it teared through their troops with its long sharp teeth. They were things falling from the sky: pieces of shell, torn wings, dismembered corpses, large drops of dense and glittering blood forming the strangest of rains.</p>
<p>The root did not recall having ever witnessed such a fight : army against beast, high up in the sky, a glorious battle, perhaps the last in a long war, and the ferocious cries of the creature, and its light, what fierce thought it carried towards her peaceful mind.</p>
<p>“ Rage ! Rage ! It was hurling, Rage and kill and destroy and fight !  Tear their bodies apart with teeth and tear their mind with blazing light! Destroy, take, kill, fight! The wind was never to strong, they are nothing, nothing ! destroy them all, with their spells, with their pitiful weapons, kill, kill, kill ! Glory for the victor and for the other, death! Kill and take apart, fight ! Rage against the wind and rage against the night !”</p>
<p>The fight continued before her eyes for a time she could not measure, as the storm was becoming more intense, and lighting and thunder were adding to the intensity of the battle. Neither side seemed to give up, the long beast, though it body was falling apart, kept swirling and destroying, the army, even if it had lost more than half of its troops, kept harassing it with all its might.</p>
<p>Suddenly, lighting struck through army and beast. The long being howled louder than ever, and the army was scattered by the wind. Now the beast was falling from the sky, it fell fast and crashed a mile away from her, the ground collapsed under the weight of its body, and now, all she could see was the light coming from the crater, the light that was slowly fading away. If was fading, and still, the same thoughts it echoed :</p>
<p>“ Rage ! Destroy ! It cried, rage against darkness, rage and take fly again ! rage against lightning, rage against the sky !”</p>
<p>Even as it became more faint, as it was dying with a slow certainty, the beast was still crying with great anger and great hope, even as its thought were but a mere memory, it was still clinging to life.</p>
<p>And the light was still here.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>…</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The white lady opened her eyes, and her mind left the memory.</p>
<p>She noticed the Wyrm Mind charm in her hand, and looked for a moment at its peaceful, steadfast glow.</p>
<p>Someone with a poetic mind might compare it to the glow of some stars, light coming from very far in the universe, reaching the eye while its source was already extinguished. The white lady did not think her mind was poetic, though, it did not have this urge most writers had, to leave its imprint upon the world, as quickly as possible, before their lives faded into darkness. Such things she did not fear.</p>
<p>The root was not a poet, no. She was a witness of things that passed, a witness that remained when everything else way gone away. And yet, she was still clinging to the charm, to the precious memories it brought her.</p>
<p>All of a sudden, she felt the need to see something, the kingdom blooming anew, and even to let her root take her to the surface, to behold it again, the great sky, with its strange hues of night and day.</p>
<p>She was about to go to her balcony, when she heard someone knocking at the door.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Dylan Thomas, "do not go gentle into that good night"<br/>With a little more subtlety : Keats, " Bright Star"</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0021"><h2>21. of stag beetles, riddles, and times that never were</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The troupe make their way to the White Palace.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>there is a riddle in this chapter : the answer is given a few lines later, so if you want to solve it by yourslef, just stop reading after the riddle and then continue when you got the answer ^^</p><p>Riddle detailed solution at the end of the chapter !</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>They walked together into the caverns, as a warm feeling filled the air. Hornet thought about the things her father had said, the deeds he recounted. She believed it, of course, no one would want to lie about such a thing, but still, she had a hard time grasping the reality of the times he talked about. From her perspective, this was more like dreams and visions, because they were here together, and all the horrors he talked about, none of them had lived.</p><p>Her siblings were having a lot of fun, making up new words with the snail shells. This appealed to the part of her that came from the weavers, it sounded like a clumsy kind of music, that reminded her of her love for songs. Her siblings were very enthusiastic about this, maybe a little too much, they wanted to add too many words, too quickly and kept forgetting about the ones they had invented at first. Good for them that their father had these scary memorizing abilities, which made the process a lot easier.<br/>
When they arrived to Looma’s home, they had more than a hundred words in, and were already communicating easily when it came to simple sentences. In fact, this was terrifying, if they continued like that, they would complete their weird language in less than a month, and then, what would they do? Start a separatist nation? Hornet tried to memorize as many words as she could. This was her duty to keep that situation from getting out of control!</p><p> </p><p>On these thoughts, they got to Looma’s door, and this time, they did not forget to knock. </p><p>-	Who is it ?</p><p>-	It’s me, the father said. I have the plants you requested.</p><p>Looma opened the door and let them in.</p><p>-	I see you met each other all right ! she exclaimed. Good thing, good thing. And look at all the flowers you got !</p><p>Hallow put down the basket in the entrance. </p><p>-	My sibling wants to keep this flower, Hornet said. Do you mind ?</p><p>-	No, you can keep it for sure, the healer laughed. You look very cute with this on your head.</p><p>Looma looked at them with curiosity.</p><p>-	But still, I wonder, she said, what is the connection between you. There is a strong resemblance in you features. Are you family ?</p><p>-	Yes ! Hornet announced proudly. These two here are my siblings, and he’s our dad.</p><p>Looma almost gagged hearing this: she looked at Hornet as if she just said the most unlikely things ever.</p><p>-	Worm … You’ve been hiding a lot of things from me, haven’t you ?</p><p>Hornet saw her father recoil a little. It was true that Looma, at times, could be surprisingly intimidating.</p><p>-	Sorry about that… It is a … complicated subject.</p><p>Looma glared at him with a disapproving look.</p><p>-	And about this matter, too, he continued, I have to go with them now, it’s very important. Of course, I’ll come back to further repay you for your kindness.</p><p>The healer hesitated a moment and said :</p><p>-Alright, you can go, since they’re with you I suppose it will be okay. But don’t forget what I told you about soul, and that you’re not fully healed yet. So I'm counting on you not to do anything stupid !</p><p>The former king nodded quickly. Looma continued:</p><p>-	And you too ! Don’t go through dangerous ways, and don’t play around with these nails of yours !</p><p>The siblings nodded too, well aware of Looma’s authority.</p><p>After exchanging quick goodbyes, they finally left the den of the blue roots, and began to make their way towards the palace. Heeding Looma’s warning, they decided to use the stagways ( wandering through the kingdom was always a fun adventure, of course, and the siblings wanted more time to think about new words, but according to Hornet, the amusement of jumping around tik tiks and spikes was not worth inducing the healer’s wrath. )</p><p>-	You are a strange bunch, the old Stag said. I’ve carried many kinds of passengers through these caverns, but none of them had such an interesting air about them. Just by looking at you, I can say you’re bound by complex stories. Do not worry, little ones, I will not ask. My job is to take you where you want to go. These inquiries, I leave to my own imagination.</p><p>The stag ran quickly through his tunnels, until they arrived at the hidden station.</p><p>-	Farewell, little ones, he said. I hope you’ll be able to find the things you’re looking for.</p><p>Their troupe left the station, she heard her father and siblings adding new words to their already long repertoire to express how impressed they were by the stag’s wisdom. Even if these creatures did not know the world outside of their tunnels, the many people they had carried through them, the many stories they had heard were worth a lifetime of experience.</p><p>On these thoughts, they arrived in front of the White Palace. The gate was guarded by two heavy warriors clad in white.</p><p>“ Do you think they’ll let us in ?” She asked.</p><p>“ I’m not sure. They will probably let you, but I think they will not let me enter. Given my current appearance, I doubt they’ll recognise me as the former king. Now I look more like a vagabond in want of geo.”</p><p>-	But what if we tell them who you are ?</p><p>-	I don’t think they’d believe us. In fact, it would make me even more suspicious.</p><p>-	But what do we do, then ? We can’t use the secret passages, they’re too difficult to access.</p><p>*Fight* Gost tapped on the shell. *Guards, fight*</p><p>* Not good* Hallow answered. * Guards very big*</p><p>- I might have an idea, her father said. Do you want to try my plan ?</p><p>- Yes ! She answered. But what do we have to do ?</p><p>- Nothing, really. Just let me speak to them and … do not laugh.</p><p>On these words, they walked towards the guards. Hornet felt curious about this plan, but a little worried too. Given the warning about laughing, the probability that it involved something ridiculous was high.</p><p>They continued until they faced the guards, who barred the way in front of them. </p><p>-Halt at once ! The bearded guard said. Princes of Hallownest, princess of Deepnest, you may enter, but we do not accept suspicious wanderers.</p><p>- Ho, excuse me guards, I’m sorry about that, their father answered. I just wanted to come closer to have an impression of what the castle may feel like. I’m quite surprised, though, that it is you, here, and not kingsmoulds.</p><p>- Why do you think there would be kingsmoulds in here ? The female guard asked.</p><p>- I thought they were everywhere around the palace.</p><p>- Well, not anymore. Most of them are broken now, she said.</p><p>- It’s a good thing, I suppose, that they’re no stealing your job.</p><p>- Of course, the bearded guard said. Anyway, they were too dumb to do anything correctly.</p><p>- Since you bring it on, I heard a rumour in the city of tears. Apparently, the guards of the white palace are teamed up in a specific way: the most intelligent guards are put with the ones who lack brains but make up for it with their sheer strength. Is that true?</p><p>( Oh no. Hornet thought, finally understanding the plan. She could not tell if it was a good idea, or an incredibly stupid one.)</p><p>-	Of course it’s not true ! The bearded guard exclaimed. We’re equally intelligent !</p><p>-	Are you so sure ? His colleague answered. For myself, I often feel like I’ve been paired with you because of my good brains.</p><p>-	It’s not true ! The bearded one exclaimed. If the rumour this pipsqueak is talking about is true, then I’m obviously the intelligent one ! You solve every problem with brute force !</p><p>-	No, You’re the dumb one ! She said. And I’ll prove it. Shorty, ask us a question so we see who’s the most intelligent ! The one who answers first wins.</p><p>-	If you will, her father answered. Imagine you’re in a race. If you pass the runner in second place, where’s you place on the podium ?</p><p>-	FIRST ! The two guards exclaimed simultaneously.</p><p>-	… Actually, it’s not the right answer. If you pass the second runner, you’re in second place.</p><p>-	But I knew it ! the bearded guard exclaimed. I said second !</p><p>-	No, you said first ! </p><p>-	Liar ! Obviously you’re the dumb one.</p><p>-	Hey, you ! Ask us another question, so we can confirm who the smart one is.</p><p>-	I have another, but it’s more difficult, the former king answered. Truly, if you can answer it, it means that you’re more intelligent than most of the people in this kingdom.</p><p>-	Tell us ! The bearded guard said.</p><p>-	This is a story about three bugs: a ladybug, a pill bug and a beetle. They all have different colours, different houses and different types of food. Their colours are red, green and blue, their houses are a tent, a shell and a bush, and their food are meat, cake and honey. You have to know that the blue bug lives in a shell, the bug who lives in a tent is green, the pill bug eats cake, the bug who eats meat doesn’t live in a tent, the bug who eats cake lives in a bush, and the beetle likes honey. So what is the colour of the pill bug ?</p><p>-	Let me think, the guard answerd. This is complicated.</p><p>-	Haha ! The bearded guard exclaimed, then you’ve proven your stupidity ! I already know the answer !</p><p>-	So what is is ? She said.</p><p>-	Obviously it’s blue ! all pill bugs are blue !</p><p>-	No they’re grey ! And you have to follow the rules of the riddle !</p><p>-	So that’s a riddle ?</p><p>-	Of course it is ! And I will get the answer !</p><p>-	No, I’ll get it faster than you, as your smart superior !</p><p>When the two guards appeared completely absorbed in their argument, the small group silently entered the palace without being noticed. They walked at a fast pace, and when they were finally far enough from the guards, Hornet finally burst out laughing. </p><p>-	Poor guards ! They will be so ashamed later !</p><p>Her father laughed a little too ( was it the first time ? This was something she had never heard, and yet, she felt that it had existed before, long ago, in the days before their infection)</p><p>-	By trying to prove their intelligence, he said, the poor guys were fooled. In fact, now, I feel bad for them.</p><p>Behind them, Hallow suddenly moved, trying convey his thoughts with gestures and sounds.<br/>
These were words they had not added to their list yet, so Hornet acted as an interpret.</p><p>- Hallow asks if the pill bug is red.</p><p>- Yes, indeed. That’s the right answer. You seem good with this kind of things, Hallow!</p><p>The sibling blew in their horn proudly.</p><p>ornet laughed a little, and began to think...</p><p>Even if now, these little moments of fun were tinged with something sadder, something cold, it echoed these days from long ago, days that maybe, after everything that had happened, could be called days of yore, days before their birth … Or rather, days that they could had lived, but had lost, days of fun and laughter with their father, were it not for Radiance, were it not for his sadness, for the dark circumstances of their birth.</p><p>As they walked through the corridors, towards the room of the queen, the room of Ghost and Hallow’s mother, Hornet found herself thinking about those times she never lived, about those days that could have been. </p><p> </p><p>The things they could have done together, visiting the most remote caves of Hallownest, making fun of the guards, going through hidden ways in castle and town, bothering Lurien in his work, sneaking into the teacher’s archives. They could have laughed together at the expense of Ogrim, and then run to escape Isma’s retaliation, they could have eaten all sorts of different foods, learned songs from far away lands. Her siblings would have had a voice, the palace would have been filled with mirthful banter. They would have fought, too, and then they would have reconciled, they would have cried over petty things, they would have smiled about the tiniest wonders. They would have, they could have, but they never did.</p><p>What a joyous time, the time that never was, the time that could have been.</p><p>The times lost before they were found, the times of a sad little story, the times that had never been and that could never be.</p><p>How she missed them, these times that were not real, and yet, that she cherished so dearly.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>These poor guards got owned !</p><p>Riddle solution :</p><p>This is a basic logical puzzle ; to solve it, draw a chart and complete it with the info given by PK :</p><p>First, we know that the pillbug eats cake and the beetle likes honey, so the only thing left is meat, so the one who eats meat is the ladybug. The, we know that the pillbug lives in a bush, because it's the one who eats cake. Then, we can know that the ladybug live in the shell, because she does not live in a tent, and the bush is already taken. With this, we can also know that the beetle lives in a tent and is green and that the ladybug is blue. The only colour left is red for the pillbug.</p><p>Fun fact about the question with the race: actually, it looks very obvious when you know about it, but a lot of people still get it wrong .</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0022"><h2>22. Lost and Found</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Root and Wyrm are reunited .</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The white lady was not ready for this. She had seen many things, she had contemplated many possibilities, she had even dared to hope, in a dream, sometime, and yet, she was not ready.</p>
<p>When she opened the door, when her children entered the room, followed by him, she understood. </p>
<p>She understood, and she was not ready.</p>
<p>Very few were those who could have recognized him in this form: most bugs of Hallownest had only seen pictures, statues that were very far from reality. Others, like the dreamers, like the knights, had always beheld him while he was shrouded with blinding light, projecting resolution and power through the long reach of his mind. </p>
<p>The pale king, for them, was a crown, a power, a light, not a real bug, not an individual.</p>
<p>However, she knew better. Even without crown, without light, she would always recognize him. With her very eyes, with the feelings perceived by her roots, with her heart that was now melting slowly through her whole body, with her love, this specific love that was distinct and bright among many others, she recognized.<br/>She recognized, and it was so painful.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The room was filled with silence as her children stepped back, waiting patiently in a corner. (They would not leave her now, they had to know she needed them, not to do anything, not to say a word, just to be here, so she was not alone.)</p>
<p>How different he was now, from his previous form, stripped of his light, crown, sight, stripped of magic and godlike will, with every feature he lacked, he made her remember this time, this time of long sadness and silence, when he would go away early and come back in the morning with sunken eyes, when she saw it crumble, the things they shared, the things they loved.</p>
<p>( Because she did not want to be pushed away, because she had to be the beautiful mother, and the queen, bearer of brightness and hope, because she didn’t want to stare into his darker sides, she let him go away in the blue night, far away in despair, held back in loneliness so that it would not spread, so that it wouldn’t mar her brightness, her soft bright light of mother and root.)</p>
<p>“ Queen, he said, Root. Sorry for everything, I am back.”</p>
<p>The wide lake that had formed over the years in her heart seemed to swell, it swelled with happiness and hope, with a very sweet kind of despair; it was still here, her love for him, her love was true, it was not a love for the light, nor love for mind, but love for this creature, for this life, this life fighting in the sky, this life fading in storm and because it was desperate to live, so desperate to see more of the world, that used all of its former glory to be reborn. It was true, truest love beyond  tombstones and  empty words engraved, beyond regrets, beyond things unsaid, this one, just this one creature, twice lost and twice found again, different, always, and still the same. </p>
<p>How wonderful that it could still be, despite the things that it had been before, that it was still fighting, like the very first time into this stormy night, that it could still be him and no other, even if she believed in death, even if she believed in graves, again, he was here, taking regrets and pain away, bringing new regrets and new pain.</p>
<p>( And the tears of root, the tears of the great tree, were large and deep like water hidden very far beneath the earth.)</p>
<p>“ Dear Wyrm, she said, with trembling voice, this time again, you return to me.”</p>
<p>Now that he returned, so different in nature, her love too bloomed anew. This new love was beautiful and different, unlike anything she had felt before.</p>
<p>Her first love, full of awe, with admiration and fear, the fascination of the one from the earth for the one from the sky, the first love had to do with the sun and the winds, with battles and many pictures gaged in dazzling fight, with the swirling intensities of vast creatures that had immense form and immense life.</p>
<p>Her second love that was tender and bright, the love woven in words, promises and whispers, woven in history of kingdoms and tragedies, with the heart of destinies and time, the second love had to do with sacrifices and discoveries, with the idea that things like civilizations could be forever, with the love of sharing and protecting, with gowns and crowns and wings spread into measureless caverns, of hands plunged in history and echoes, of held back tears and held back pains, of so many truths left unsaid, of spider silk under the rain, ink and story faded, closed eyes, goodbyes.</p>
<p>This love, now, was different, it too, was imbued with tragedy, it shared the feeling of flickering life and the feeling of destinies, it had to do with the very ancient love she had felt for the little creatures that traversed her domain in the ancient days, for those who were too small to mean something for time, to be anything, truly, for the likes of the earth, for the likes of the old tree. This love was full of the delightful melancholy of instants, of the ones who passed and never came back, of travelers from far away that would be on the road the next morning, of things just born and dying things, of transient petals in the breeze, flowers of one night, dust and dreams.</p>
<p>It occurred to her, then, that every time he came back, letting behind an empty grave, this would be in this selfsame fashion: smaller, lesser form, closer to the earth in which she dwelled, closer to all other things that were not bound by the laws of the undying, now, in his current form, even free from the bound of higher beings, like all other creatures, here now, just for a time, a time of infinite joy and long regrets, a time that they would count in years ( a short time truly, for the root), and yet, a time of love unhinged, a time she would cherish more than anything. </p>
<p>Every second had to be taken for what it was, with its fragile glow, its honesty, its fragility, for this was her last time with him.</p>
<p>Her last love,</p>
<p>Her last Wyrm.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Now, she was closer, her roots glowing around him, as she did not dare to move too fast, as if a wrong word, a wrong gesture, would break the moment that for her was now very tender and fragile.</p>
<p>“ Root ? he asked. Are you crying ?”</p>
<p>His voice seemed strangely distant, now, strangely weak. The voice was no longer echoing through her mind, it was just a sound, now, just the air softly vibrating. The voices of bugs too, were made of dancing air, it was the dance of sound, this thing held dear by weavers, the very soft sounds of living beings .</p>
<p>“ Root ? I cannot do much now, but I had to meet you again. They are things I’m trying to repair.”</p>
<p>Had he always been this small? Was it the lack of light, the lack of crown, and how was it even possible that she, the beholder of revolutions around the sun, the witness who could count generations like others counted seconds, how could it be, now, that time felt so vast and so little, that she could count every heartbeat, every breath, that they were so deep and so intense, now, these “nothings” she had so long craved.</p>
<p>“ Root ? Are you okay ? I can’t hear your voice …”</p>
<p>That was it: the moment, the second, the small instant of intense emotion, so much more because it would go away with half a breath, because it was ever changing and ever lost, because it was rushing through her sap and every single root felt the life brimming all over the kingdom, she had to hold it tight, to feel it finally, the urge not to let go, the fierce urge to keep, to save with all her might, the greed of beings that desperately clung to life, the song she had never understood “ Do not let go, Do not let go !”</p>
<p>“ Root, can you hold less tight ? It hurts …”</p>
<p>The white lady began to perceive her surroundings again, despite the flow of so many feelings that were strange and new. She realized that she had been hugging her husband in a very tight embrace, without even realizing it. Very carefully, she released her grip a little. How strange and unlike the essence of the tree… Was that it, the kind of emotions that could be felt by bugs, the kinds that could brush away thoughts and will ?</p>
<p>“ How pleased I am with your return, my Wyrm, she finally said, and yet, it seems you have suffered so…”</p>
<p>…</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Worm had pushed through it with fear and awe, the sheer power of the root, the majesty of her being, the warmth of her branches and of her glow, all of it emitted a powerful, unseen light, that shone through his mind, taking form of his love for her. This love was too heavy, infused with too many regrets and too many pains, it, too, bore the burden of lies whispered and truths unsaid, it too, with the price of shame and agony, it had to be set free.</p>
<p>Worm ; not worm, this was not the name she would give, not the name of her love, of her will, this name was but a sad remnant of his escape away from his dear memories, it was a lie, too. Wyrm ( grand name, it is true, but synonymous of lost things, lost and never forgotten), Wyrm felt surprise and uneasiness upon discovering how strong her feelings were, so strong they could be felt through the roots, through her voice, most of all, through her silence. </p>
<p>This was not wat he had imagined, her gaze would be distant, incredulous, nostalgic, perhaps, thought he, It could not be something like this, akin to flames and great waterfalls, they were so different, now, they did not share the same world: how could he ever trespass, with such a powerless form, into her world of light, her world of time, her godly world ? </p>
<p>Even before, he had been able to feel this remoteness, when he still had the crown and the light, he had been able to see it in the way her eyes gazed at things he couldn’t see, in the way she could be lost in silent thoughts for days, and then come back as if it was nothing, in her voice that spread slowly across the caverns.<br/>How come that now, now that Wyrm had fled forever the realm of the pale ones, her heart seemed closer ? Was it the lack of sight, the lack of other thoughts, the fact that for the first time, his mind, entirely, was clinging to his love for her ?</p>
<p>“ I am sorry, root, he said, softly. Many times, I have kept the truth for myself. But now, I suppose you know what it was, the things I’ve done…”</p>
<p>He heard her sigh slowly, and felt the roots around him move a little, bringing him closer to her voice ( Despite the situation, the idea that he was completely helpless now, and that his life depended on her will, that with little effort, she could destroy it forever, he was not afraid. The proximity of her roots were dear and serene, and as natural as the frow of air in caverns.)</p>
<p>“ I’m sorry too, she said in a clear voice. I should have asked, I should have listened. Still, my Wyrm, I do not regret trusting you. Now all live, all the ones you wanted to protect.”</p>
<p>“ And still … so many other times were lost.”</p>
<p>“ Maybe they were, but this time is not. Do not fear, Wyrm, your light gone I do not resent, the only thing I ever loved was you, despite form or might, and now that you’re a being of this world only, all I have to do is thank you for the bright time you’ve given me, with dear Hornet, with dear Children, to thank you for coming back, just for me.”</p>
<p>The exchange was followed by a long silence. Both of them knew what it meant. An unavoidable circumstance had fallen upon their reunion, which was an integral part of the love they shared, a circumstance that would make it deeper, but very sad, that would make it more beautiful, but with the fragile beauty of melancholy.</p>
<p>Wyrm knew that he had but a short time left to live, five, maybe ten years, and that this time he would love more than any other time in this world.</p>
<p>Root knew that her love would live forever, that it would make the rest of her eternity filled with the sublime colours of regret.</p>
<p>They both knew that the time to come would be an intense and blooming time, with so much to do, so much to say, so much to learn, and because they knew how quickly it would be lost, it would be all the more precious.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Wyrm pictured it an instant and it brought tears in his eyes, tears made of joy, because all he had left to do was to love his children to love his wife, to love the world. Pain and regrets would not fade away, they were still going to be memories and nightmare, guilt would be there, too, for this time, but the lies, now, were gone away. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“ Dear Root, he said. Dear children. I look forward to our time together.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>The end is nigh !</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0023"><h2>23. Days</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Contemplating the value of things left</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>-	What do you want to do then ? </p>
<p>-	I don’t want to have anything to do with ruling Hallownest. I can’t. Even if I wanted I wouldn’t be able to.</p>
<p>-	This much, I understand.</p>
<p>-	First I want to spend time with the children, to really know them. And to spend time with you.</p>
<p>-	What else ?</p>
<p>-	They are still people I need to thank, they did a lot to help me and I owe them. I also want to discover Hallownest again, to go to every place, to be able to know it well.</p>
<p>-	If you want to do something like this, you could also ask Monomon if you may help her. They’re doing a lot of research about the kingdom now.</p>
<p>-	Indeed, I heard about it too. This seems fun. I met a shcolar from the archives. He was really good company. There’s also much I want to learn.</p>
<p>-	These are good ideas, dear. Is there anything else you think of ?</p>
<p>-	Maybe one thing, yes. If it’s okay with you, of course, and if someone is willing to come with me, I’m thinking of going on a trip in one of the neighbouring lands. </p>
<p>-	I do not see any problem with it. As long as its not too far away or too dangerous. </p>
<p>-	And all this, it’s a lot already. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Wyrm basked in the feeling of the warmth of root. As they sat in silence, he savored the idea of just being with her, doing nothing, of just knowing that she was here and that they wouldn’t be taken apart.</p>
<p>He thought of the many things that were not undone, of the many pains that were not forgotten, of the weights they carried with them into every instant. He thought about their hearts, all patched up with missing pieces, of the scars that were still here and that would never fade, of pictures and memories. </p>
<p>It pleased him in a strange and melancholy way, the fact that this was not a perfect happiness reached, not a perfect end,
 that these new times would not be free of regrets and pains. 
It could not be, with all these things done, with all the things known, 
but this way, it could have the colour of lies unwoven, mistakes forgiven,
 of dear things lost and dearest things found. </p>
<p>Wyrm thought fondly of the days to come, little days with little stories, 
he thought of the future that would not be marked with grand, empty words, like “ ever after “, or “happy”.</p>
<p> The future would flow discreetly beneath the earth,
 future spent embracing what he still had, the most precious things that were never lost, the dear root, the children. 
He thought of small adventures and small discoveries, 
of listening to the world, ever so closely, of finding new sounds, new smells, new stories, 
in the way of those who were on the road and loved every single thing equally.</p>
<p>These days, thought he, were not so much to ask. </p>
<p>This was, in fact, the only thing he wished.</p>
<p>To live a little more in this world.</p>
<p>These days , Wyrm thought, were the only days he should hope for, and with this, he felt content.</p>
<p>These days long awaited, </p>
<p>These days of silent joy</p>
<p>These days, sad and blue</p>
<p>These days, with their price so great, now that the storm had passed, they almost felt …</p>
<p>… well deserved.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>...</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0024"><h2>24. Epilogue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>THE END</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Special thanks to Jeffnorsegod, SpringLoadedColors, NightSkySoul, damascene and Byzarrio43, who let very supportive comments on this work !</p><p>Thank you all for your support !</p><p>This has been a wild ride, I hope you liked the way it ended !</p><p>IF YOU WANT TO HELP ME CHOSE AN IDEA FOR MY NEXT WORK, MAKE A REQUEST OR A COLLAB, JOIN ME ON DISCORD :<br/>https://discord.gg/NaamyuEt</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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